Untamable Lioness
by MistterDay
Summary: When Hermione is forced into what is called "the marriage law", she knows deep down they will be coming for her. And, as a Gryffindor, she's not going to give up without fighting. Fighting for freedom, her most precious gift.
1. Chapter 1

_Here we go again for my second English fanfiction, I hope you will love it. _

_It is not a translation this time._

_Harry Potter's universe and characters do not belong to me._

_Enjoy! :)_

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The big white tents were filled with laughter and people dancing to the sound of a catchy music. The whole Weasley family was reunited to celebrate the wedding of Ginevra and Harry. They've been waiting for this moment for so long they were thrilled to finally witness it. The two lovers too had waited for this moment for a really long time, and yet, Hermione couldn't bring herself to be happy for the new couple.

Sitting alone at a table with an empty glass in her hand, her gaze lingers on the whiteness of the tablecloth, she was lost in the depth of her thoughts. Turning around, the young witch looked at Harry, the young man she came to consider like a brother and couldn't help but envy him. After years of waiting, he finally got to marry the woman he loved and chose, something that has been taken away from her. But the war was over now, Voldemort has been defeated, they could go on with their lives and start to build a brighter future, little did they knew that said future only brightened for Harry and Ron. And here she thought they were fine.

Out of nowhere, the Ministry made their big announcement in the freaking Daily Prophet that due to their too many losses Muggleborn witches had to bow to what they dared to call _The New Marriage Law. _This law stipulated that the selected witches will stop being active members of their community in order to provide for their new family. In other words, they were making housewives out of them, and what kind of Housewives! They had to marry Pureblood wizards and were expected to produce an heir.

They were taking everything away from them: their future, their freedom, their happiness...

Silent tears glided down her cheeks as she watched Harry and Ginny waltzing around, a romantic song playing softly in the background. She quickly wiped the offending pearls away and turned her back on them, refusing to let anyone see her in that state. She was mad beyond words at them for considering the Marriage Law as a good thing and for planning Hermione's wedding ahead, sincerely believing it will do her good, that she will be happy once she's married. Maybe they really were wishing the best for her, but it wasn't the Marriage Law. She begged them to get her out of that situation, and here is the only answer she got :

"You don't know if they will choose you, and if they do, who are you to disobey?"

Molly turned her back on her, certain that she knew better than Hermione what was good for her. The woman that was like a mother to her was now her worst enemy. Maybe she just wanted to keep the young witch close to her after losing one of her kids. Arthur didn't even budge, working for the Ministry itself, he was good at hiding what he was truly thinking. But apparently, it didn't bother him to push Hermione in the arms of an unknown wizard. So, she tried to talk to the only family she ever had, Harry. And here are what his last words for her were.

"You're just anxious your future husband may not like you, just like Ron. I'm sure you'll be fine!"

Just like the others, he didn't understand what was wrong with the whole situation. It was like they all deliberately refused to face the truth, because it was ugly and because they were not ready to open their eyes just yet. But she couldn't wait for them to realize it, she needed to find a way out. Fortunately for her, she was the wisest witch of her time, yet it didn't help her to come up with a plan to escape from the Aurors the Ministry probably had sent after her. She knew all to well that if she tries to escape they will catch her, and she wasn't strong enough to defeat Aurors all by herself. She only had two solutions left and she really wished they will work.

As she pushed her empty glass away from her, she felt it. It was brief and faint, but she knew what it meant. Fighting off Voldemort and his Death Eaters taught her to feel the danger before it came. This ability helped her many times.

The music stopped.

They were here.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and forged herself an unflappable mask.

"So, they chose you to kidnap me." She slowly stood up and turned to the big crowd in front of her. "Hello, Moony."

The wizard greeted her with a simple nod.

"It does not have to end like this if you come with me willingly."

She involuntarily stiffened under that statement.

"You really don't know me if you think I'm gonna bow to that kind of law."

Remus sighed, his eyes closed. " Hermione."

"I won't marry out of love, having children won't be _my_ decision., the only "job" I'll ever have is the one of housewife. What kind of life is that?"

"I'm not here to discuss the law."

"You're right." She slowly moved her hand to grab her purse, only to find it was no longer hanging on the chair. She took a quick glance at it to verify.

"Are you looking for this?"

She froze, her heart skipping a beat. She knew without looking what Remus was holding out in his hands. How did he... She stopped her train of thoughts and looked at the crowd behind him, you could see the guilt on each of their faces. At least they felt a tad bit remorseful for what they've done.

"I'm sorry." Was all Moony said before breaking, in one swift movement, Hermione's wand.

"No!"

A small white light erupted from broken wand and then slowly died.

"Hermione Jane Granger, from now on you are no longer an active member of the Wizarding World and are put under the care of your future husband."

"No, I'm not!" She replied through gritted teeth before digging into the pocket of her red dress, searching for her last hope.

Remus just closed his eyes and shooked his head saddened by her attitude.

"The cyanide's not here anymore."

She stopped dead in her tracks, so they did took everything away from her. She started to panic, her whole body shivering.

"Take her." Remus said simply.

As someone caught her from behind, her body trembled even more. An incredible pain coursed through her like poison, she started whining and screaming more and more violently. An unknown force was tearing her apart, burning her inside, radiating with power. She tried to grab that force and control it.

The spasms suddenly stopped. She opened her eyes, usually dark brown, they were now glowing from power. The air around her started to crackle and the light bulbs started flickering from a force so violent that everyone could feel it. Some glasses exploded under the pressure.

Remus had an absolute look of panick on his face.

"Hermione, I'm begging you. Stop that!"

But it was clear in her eyes that the young witch was out of control, driven by pure instinct, she was like a lioness in a cage, a true Gryffindor.

The crackling of the light bulbs was stronger, ready to explode. The earth started to tremble. Hermione was ready to drown them under an ocean of power and anger. When two Aurors took out their wand, Hermione used a wave of power to send the woman holding her, flying across the room before sucking the light of a few light bulbs and sending them flashes of lightning. The others counterattacked, but Hermione blocked it with an invisible shield. Then she gathers this newfound energy to suck up all the lights in the room in herself before sending it back in a powerful shockwave, disintegrating the tent and knocking everyone down.

She fell on her knees when this power left her, draining a lot of her energy out of her. Starting to regain control of her body and mind, she wondered what happened just now. But seeing everyone down and injured, she knew it was time to move. With a little spark of power, she opened a portal, wishing for it to bring her to a safe place before jumping in.

She landed in a dark and freezing land covered by snow. As soon as her skin hit the snow she started shivering. She wanted a safe place, not a freezing one!

Clenching her teeth hard, she didn't waste any more time trying to pinpoint where she was or why it was so cold, the Aurors were on her tracks. She threw her high heels away and started running bare feet in the snow. Entering what seemed to be a forest, she slalomed between the many trees, avoiding the explosive curses thrown at her. She wished she knew how to use wandless power, but she didn't even know how she knocked them all down. Maybe it was just luck.

The dark night kept her from seeing where exactly she was going. Her heart felt like it was burning, she needed air, and her feet were ice cold. She turned a corner and tumbled down a hill. When she hit the ground, she felt the coldness of the snow insinuate itself in her body, paralyzing her. Exhausted, out of breath and broken, she asked herself during the split of a second what was the point of fighting?

However, she got back up and continued walking. Leaning against a tree, her vision fogged, she thought she saw a woman a few feet away from her, looking at her with concern in her eyes, she was saved!

"Help..."

She didn't have time to finish her sentence that a curse sends her flying in the air, fortunately, the woman was reactive enough. She took out her wand and used it to make her land softy next to her. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the young witch was turning blue.

Four Aurors appeared in front of them, wands aimed in their direction.

"Don't worry, I got this." She whispered to Hermione before standing up to face the intruders.

"What is going here? Why are you attacking her?" The woman asked, authority clear in her voice.

She was as tall as Remus, her hair and eyes matching the darkness of the night.

"My name's Remus..."

"I didn't ask for your name Auror!" She interrupted him with an ice cold voice.

Upset about the woman's attitude, he continued.

"This young woman needs to come with us. She escaped her own country when the Ministry asked her to bow to the new Marriage Law."

The woman turned her head to the young witch, impressed by the amount of courage needed to fight against her own Ministry. Turning back her attention to the Aurors, her eyes sparkled with rage.

"I've heard about that disgusting law, unfortunately for you, gentlemen, you are in Bulgaria here. So, unless you have the approval of my Ministry, I will kindly suggest you leave because I'm not letting you touch her."

"But the girl..."

"Is under my protection! Now... Get OUT!"

The last word was pronounced with such force that it sends a little shock wave, making the four Aurors flinch.

"We'll be back! With or without the approval of your Government! This girl will bow to our laws!"

They didn't let her replies. They turned their back on her and left.

As soon as they left, the woman rushed to Hermione side and gave her her coat. Using a simple spell, she called back her family that rushed to her side. Three young men appeared before her.

"We need to go back to the house. Viktor, I need you to carry her for me.

Nodding briefly, the young man approach and flinched the second he saw her face. Even after all these years, he could never forget her.

"Mina?"

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_Again, if you see mistakes or things that need improvement, do not hesitate to let me know ;-)_


	2. Chapter 2

_And here I am for this second chapter! ^^_

_Enjoy ;)_

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_Slowly waking up from her slumber, Hermione opened her eyes, only to meet darkness. From what she felt, she was in a bed that had the softest mattress she ever laid on. She didn't know if it was the warmth of the bed or her state of tiredness but she couldn't nor did she wanted to get up. When she tried though, her heart stopped, her wrists and ankles were trapped in a vice fixed on the bed. She yanked hard on them but in vain, she was captive. Raising her gaze when she heard the door creaking, she looked in horror Remus, his wand pointed at her, a vicious smile on his face._

Awaking with a jolt, panting, she looked all around her, the room still as dark as in her nightmare. Bringing her hands to her mouth, she tried to muffle the sound of her sobs. She stayed strong for too many years, always been the moral support for Harry and Ron and never received theirs in return. After all those years, she finally allowed herself this moment of weakness.

Among her sobbing, she heard voices, muffled by the hauling of the wind and the doors closed. It was faint but she heard them, quiet at first, but the more she listened the more the voices grew louder, sounding almost menacing. Breathing deeply, she took the time to regain control over her emotions before getting up and see to whom the voices belong to. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the room, allowing her to make out her new environment. She was in what she guessed to be a man's room, so big it belonged to a wealthy man, but wasn't it a woman who found then saved her? Her memories were still foggy, all she could remember was trying to escape the Aurors, her running away in the snow barefoot, them hexing her.

Getting herself out of bed she shivered once more at the coldness of the room. Fortunately for her, someone put clothes on the bedside table for her. She hesitated. She could see a bathroom on her right, the temptation of taking a hot shower was so strong. But she reminded herself this was not her house and she didn't even know who found her. So she grabbed the clothes and changed quickly before getting out of the room on what appeared to be the ground floor. The voices were a bit clearer but still muffled by the walls.

She padded to a door slightly ajar and mustered up the courage to push it open. The voices stopped and every person in the room looked at her.

"Great, you're awake!" A woman exclaimed, overjoyed by this simple statement.

Her dark brown eyes looked like she could read you like an open book. She was tall and svelte, her dark hair cascading down her spine, she was beautiful. Now she recognized her!

"You saved me." She stated in a whisper.

"Let's just say I was at the right place, the right time. The most important thing is that you're safe now."

Her honest, tender smile was a relief for the young witch's heart. Despite the fact she didn't know her, she was willing to save Hermione and that was something she never thought someone would do, especially for her.

"I don't even know how to thank you."

"There's no need for that, especially now that we know who you are."

Hermione frowned, not understanding what she meant by that.

A man was standing behind her, tall, fit, grey hair starting to grow, he must be her husband. On their right stood two young men, dark hair, brown eyes, the spitting image of their parents. She didn't recognize any of them, so how come they knew who she was? Maybe they heard about her in the Daily Prophet, the Wisest Witch of her age helping the Boy-Who-Lived.

"I'm sorry, maybe it's the recent events but I can't remember when and where we met."

"That's because we didn't meet personally. Actually, it is one of my sons that you met."

Hermione wasn't sure who she was talking about until she felt someone behind her. He was so close she could feel his breath on the back of her head.

"Hello, Mina."

Her eyes widened. Only one man on earth used to call her like that. She turned around, there he was! He grew old, just like her, but she could recognize his coy smile and big brown eyes anywhere.

"Viktor!"

Before she could stop herself, she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his neck, relieved to finally find someone who always made her feel safe and respected. Viktor's arms tightened around her waist. He had been terrified last night, seeing her in such a state. As long as he could remember, he always pictured her as a strong and fierce young witch and seeing her so fragile and vulnerable was something he thought he will never see. But there she was, in his arms, and he promised himself he will never let her go again. Not until he's sure she was safe.

Viktor's father cleared his throat, making them separate abruptly.

"I think we need to talk."

They all nodded in agreement before taking place in the big living room. Viktor's parents sat on two big armchairs while their sons settled on a dark leathered couch in front of them. Viktor moved to rest on the armrest of the couch, taking Hermione's hands in his, he placed her in front of him and cuddled her close to his chest.

"I think we didn't properly introduce ourselves. My name is Sophia, and this is husband Ioan and our boys, Nikolaï and Andreï."

The two brothers raised their hands when their name was mentioned, a shy smile on their lips.

"I don't need to introduce you to Viktor."

They share a small smile, looking into each other's eyes, completely oblivious to the rest of the family.

"So Hermione!" The voice of Ioan interrupted them. "Care to tell us why Aurors were trying to capture you?"

She knew he didn't mean to sound harsh, but his simple question silenced the whole room. All eyes were on Hermione, and she knew she had to tell them.

"It started just a few weeks ago, the Ministry of Magic in England decided to establish what they call "The new Marriage Law". Because of the war and the lives that we lost, they are forcing Muggleborn witches to marry Pureblood wizards. They say it is a way for us "Muggleborns" to be useful to our community."

"I don't understand how a marriage can help?" Nikolaï interjected.

Hermione lowered her head a brief moment, just stating what it implied was painful for her.

"The Marriage Law stipulates that the selected witches will no longer be a part of the Wizarding World in order to become "housewives"."

Viktor's parents seemed disgusted by that while her sons weren't sure what it implied, so they asked her what it meant.

"It means that I have to give up on the idea of getting a job. For the younger ones, it means they have to give up their studies. But the worst part is that they expect us to "produce heirs" to quote them."

Nikolaï and Andreï shook their heads in disbelief but didn't say anything, knowing Hermione's story was only beginning. Hermione could feel Viktor stiffening against her. She put her hand on his and stroke it absentmindedly.

"Since the war, I spent most of my time with the Weasley family. I tried to tell them how wrong this law was, but they wouldn't listen. Harry even told me I was just nervous because I thought nobody would like me. I still can't believe it. They were like family to me, and they are turning their backs on me. It was at this moment I realized I could only count on myself."

"How did you know they were coming for you?" Sophia asked.

Hermione shrugged.

"The selected witches don't know until it's too late. While they hope they won't be chosen, I knew they would be coming for me, so I prepared myself."

She closed her eyes, remembering how it all went.

"The music stopped the instant they arrived. I didn't even need to turn around, I felt them. I was ready to fight. I thought I had it all planned, but I have been careless. I didn't see them stealing my wand and giving them to the Aurors before they broke it." Her voice started to break when she remembered Remus breaking her wand in front of her.

Sophia put her hand over her heart, feeling sorry for the young woman.

"I had a backup plan though, a little seed of cyanide in my pocket. Just one bite and you die within the next minute."

A look of sheer horror appeared on the Krums faces. Viktor was the only one who wasn't surprised. She was a Gryffindor, freedom was her most precious gift and he knew she would rather die than give it up.

"What do you mean you had?" Ioan asked.

"Apparently, they knew me at least a little bit to know I would do something like that. They stole it too. That's when it happened..."

"What happened honey?" Sophia asked.

Hermione shook her head lightly.

"I felt so vulnerable and desperate at that moment. I suddenly felt this power welling up inside me. It was so powerful it completely took control over me. I don't remember what happened, but when I regained consciousness, they were all down and the tent had been disintegrated. So, with a little spark of power, I opened a portal, wishing for it to take me to a safe place. That's how I ended up here."

To say the Krum family was impressed was an understatement. Sophia and Ioan had small smiles stretching their lips, Hermione, from what Viktor told them, was definitely one of a kind. They were glad to have the chance to finally meet her, though they were saddened to meet her in such circumstances.

"I should go now!" Hermione said detaching herself from Viktor.

"What? Why?"

The young witch put her hand of Viktor's cheek and looked at him with such fondness it made his heart melt.

"I wanted a safe place but I can't be here. I don't want you to get in trouble if they come back."

"Hermione!" Ioan said getting up from his chair.

She turned around to look at his soft expression.

"My wife swore she would protect you, and she doesn't make promises she can't keep. Plus, this law is utterly disgusting, we all think that." His sons and wife agreed, nodding their heads. "So stay with us. I promise you we'll find a way to get you out of here."

The young Gryffindor was speechless, she didn't want to get them in trouble but she also was tired of being alone and vulnerable.

"Mina! Look at me!" Hermione turned to Viktor, his face so serious all of a sudden. "Do you trust me?"

"I do!" She replied automatically.

"Then stay! We all agree to keep you safe. Plus, English Laws can't affect you if you stay in Bulgaria, and I'm convinced our government won't send you back."

Hermione couldn't help but smile for the first time in days. Logically, if she stayed in Bulgaria, the English Government couldn't bring her back by force. It was a pretty safe bet to say staying with them was a good idea, although she didn't like the prospect of them getting hurt because of her.

"Alright, Viktor! You win!" Her statement brought a goofy smile on his face. "But I need books on Bulgarian and International Laws. I want to find a legal way to escape them."

"Absolutely!" Viktor laughed before taking her hand. "Let me show you your room."

While he showed Hermione the house, the rest of the family had stayed silent in the living room.

"Do you really think they won't find a way to get her back?" Nikolaï asked his mother.

"They will! That's why we need to prepare ourselves. Politicians are not trustworthy." Sophia said, arms crossed.

"What do we do now?" Ioan asked his wife.

"We hope the wisest witch of her age will find a way out. Otherwise, it might be the start of a political war between Bulgaria and England."

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I hope you loved it.

Don't hesitate to tell me what you thought about it (even if you didn't like ^^)


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello everyone!_

_I'm back! I know it took me time to write the next chapter but here it is and don't worry, thanks to a colleague of mine I got back like 200% into writing mode :)_

_I hope you will love this one._

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Locked away in one of Sophia's spare room, Hermione swore she wouldn't leave it until she finds a way to get herself out of this marriage law problem. It has been two days already, she barely ate, she barely slept, all she did was working on these scrolls filled with legal procedures and text of laws. Her iron will, making up for the lack of sleep and food, but for how much longer? That she didn't know.

A crayon between her teeth, another tying her hair in a bun, she frowned at the scattered scrolls on the floor, trying to make connections between them. It turned out to be more difficult she expected. Was her reputation of the wisest witch of her age over-exaggerated? Probably not, it's just that Wizards laws were just like Humans ones: Favoring men over equality.

Realizing that made her even angrier and she started to look through every piece of paper all over again.

From his vantage point behind the door, Viktor was using a simple spell to look through the obstacle and keep a watchful eye on the young woman. He didn't like the idea of letting her deal with this complicated problem on her own, but as her mother liked to remind him, Hermione was a prideful woman and the most brilliant one in the house. She never needed to finish that sentence.

"Nissy!" Viktor called out, not too loud so Hermione doesn't hear him.

A second later, a small house elf appeared, bowing down in front of the young man.

"Yes, master!"

Viktor closed his eyes for a second, fighting the urge to growl at that. How many times will he have to explain it to her?

"Nissy I freed you, so stop calling me master."

The house-elf smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry master but Nissy can't."

Shaking his head, amused, Viktor reminded himself he didn't have time to argue with the small creature.

"Nissy, I need you to do something for me." He stopped for a brief moment, deciding on how to put it. "See this young woman in the room?"

The elf nodded, she already knows, having a guest in the Krum household was something so new and exciting she had to know.

"Well, she's important for me and I want her to stop working so hard in this room. She needs food and sleep."

"Sleep and food only?"

"Of course not! You can show her the house, take a walk outside with her, show her the town. It's up to you. I just want her to take a break. Can you do that for me until I come back?"

The elf nodded, even though not sure of what to do but her master trusted her so she smiled and promised him she'll take her mind off work, whatever that meant.

After Nissy disappeared, Viktor took one last look towards the witch before vanishing without a sound.

Throwing her crayon though the room, Hermione put her hand on her face and sighed soundly.

"Tired missy?" Asked a small voice from behind her.

Hermione jumped with a small cry, surprised by the intruder's voice. She turned around and saw a rather startle house elf.

"Sorry if I startled you, I didn't expect someone to sneak up on me." She said with a hand on her heart.

"Sorry missy, next time Nissy make more noise."

Hermione smiled at the elf's idea.

"Not sure it would be better but it's worth a try." She stopped and sit more comfortably. "It's very nice to meet you, Nissy, I'm Hermione."

"I know, you are master's special missy. Nissy shall make missy stop working."

Hermione looked puzzled.

"Who is your master, Nissy? Is it… Is it Viktor ?"

The elf nodded vigorously has to show how happy she was with that statement. Hermione smiled at the creature, but there was still on question plaguing her mind.

"Did Viktor freed you?"

Nissy had a look of sheer happiness, the young witch could swear the small elf was about to cry.

"He did, thanks to you."

"Me?" Was all she could answer, the shock of the statement taking her aback.

"Yes, yes! Master told us how missy wanted house-elf freedom."

Now, Hermione was beyond shocked. Did he remember that night?

_The library was empty, but that tended to be a thing since the beginning of the year. Hermione never minded, she always loved the silence of that part of the school to study or just to avoid everyone. That night, she thought she would be alone, she never expected Viktor Krum to intrude her precious sanctuary._

_At first, she thought it was a student coming to steal some precious scrolls for an exam. That thought angered her and she decided to stop him. It was late and the room was too dark for the few candles to lit it completely so when she spotted him, she just saw a big form who appeared threatening._

_Concentrating, Hermione used her wand to create eagles in the room, then she looked at the intruder._

_"Opugno!"_

_The eagles looked at their new target before rushing towards it, but the intruder reacted quickly._

_With just a flick of his wand, he destroyed one by one every eagle thrown at him._

_Taken aback by the talent of her opponent, Hermione didn't let stop her from bouncing back. She created ropes she tried to tie around his ankles and wrists but he vanished them easily. Realizing simple spells were useless against him, she decided to stop going easy on him._

_Taking a few steps back she gathered energy in her wand before releasing it to shoot a bolt of white lightning towards him._

_Without saying a word, her opponent raised his wand and absorbed the lightning before sending it back with much more power. Hermione didn't have time to use a protective spell so she dodged it. The jinx destroyed a table once behind her. Rising to her feet she made the wooden pieces levitate, metamorphosed them into steel and threw them at him. One by one he dodged them, not caring to use a spell, which infuriated the young witch._

_Their little fight was devastating the library and Hermione wanted to spare the most of it, something that will turn out to be impossible if they stayed here. She quickly came up with a plan to take him out of the room but she needed his help._

_Without realizing it, her opponent gave her what she needed with a powerful fire spell. She blocked it creating an orb of fire in her hand and then breathed into it to create a lion flame. This new ally was pushing the intruder towards the exit. However, she didn't expect the student to turn her fire lion into and water lion and caused him to liquefy._

_Pointing out to the chairs and tables, Hermione used her wand to throw them across the room towards him. She knew he would block them but it was just a diversion while she ran towards him hoping to tackle him. She didn't notice how strong he really was until he caught her, threw her on the ground and covered her body with his, stilling her arms with his hands. His face was a few centimeters from hers._

_"You really are powerful!" the intruder whispered, out of breath._

_That voice! Hermione knew it all too well._

_"Viktor?"_

_The Bulgarian wizard smiled, reassured that it was a misunderstanding and that Hermione didn't recognize him before. He released her arms and helped her get to her feet. He was about to say something when a petite hand slapped his cheek, not too hard though._

_"You scared me!"_

_Despite the small tingling, Viktor looked at her, eyebrow raised, not believing what she said._

_"You didn't seem so scared when you were throwing curses at me."_

_"I said scared, not defenseless."_

_"That fire lion was definitely not."_

_Hermione blushed under Viktor's "masked" compliment._

_"I created this spell myself. I wasn't sure it would work."_

_Viktor looked amazed by that simple statement. She wondered why he was looking at her like that? Not believing she was or even had something special._

_"You didn't tell me what you are doing here at this hour." She asked._

_"Well," he started, scratching the back of his head. "I wanted to talk to you."_

_"And this conversation couldn't wait for tomorrow?"_

_Viktor laughed, shaking his head a little bit._

_"I mean, I wanted to spend time with you."_

_His confession took her aback. Why did he want to talk to her? Sure, she helped him get rid of the fangirls chasing him all around the castle, but never did she think he would want to spend time with her to talk._

_"But why me?" she managed to ask._

_He just shrugged. "You are different and we started a good conversation."_

_"I just asked you why you decided to put your name in the Goblet of Fire." She laughed._

_"Exactly! The only people who talk to me want autographs or tell me I am a great player."_

_He laughed when he said it but Hermione noticed the sadness in his eyes. That was then she realized Viktor was different._

_"Well, I guess we can talk as long as you help me clean up the mess we created."_

_The way he smiled at her, it was a smile she felt was made for her only. They cleaned the library and talked for hours about his reasons to participate in the tournament, his family, his dreams. The young man opened up to her and seemed as eager to share about his life he was curious about hers._

_"I can't believe you've never left England!" He exclaimed sitting in front of her on the floor, the library now entirely clean._

_"They are not big fans of traveling around the globe in my family."_

_"But you are."_

_Hermione didn't know if it was more or question or a statement but she felt the need to explain herself._

_"It sounds silly but I do want to see the world, not just England."_

_"It's not silly to me."_

_The more he smiled at her, the more she blushed and that was something he was beginning to notice._

_"Hey! Why wouldn't you start by Bulgaria." He exclaimed sitting up on his knees._

_She looked at him for a second, as to judge whether he was serious or silly. But the look on his face showed a mix of both._

_"What is there for me to see?" She was teasing him, he knew that._

_"Well, we have a great National Quidditch Team, I heard their "seeker" was really good."_

_They both nodded with a goofy expression plastered on their faces._

_"Well, I'm not a big fan of Quidditch."_

_"What?!" He exclaimed. "What kind of witch are you?"_

_"The kind that prefers books over sports."_

_"Smart choice. And which book do you prefer?"_

_The young witch seemed to think thoroughly, she read so many books, how could she decide which one was the best? It was an impossible question. But then, she looked at him and the idea popped out in her mind._

_She went on one of the alleys, used her wand to take down a high placed book and brought it back to Viktor._

_"What is it?"_

_Sitting on her knees, she placed the book in his hands, dusting it a little. Viktor took a closer look at this book and something caught his attention._

_"It doesn't have a name?"_

_Hermione shook her head sadly._

_"The wizard who wrote it couldn't find a name for it, so he left it untitled."_

_"What is it about?"_

_She put a hand on the cover while starting her summary._

_" It's a story about friendship, between a wizard and a house-elf. This wizard's parents gave him the house-elf when he was a young boy, like a domestic animal, something to occupy him and keep him company while they were away."_

_She paused, obviously touched by this story._

_"They grew up really close, to the point where the young boy preferred the company of the elf than of his parents. He called him his friend, but his family was coming from a pureblood one, they didn't like the idea of their son getting friendly with such a creature. So they beat the elf in front of him and reminded him that they were just servants. The wizard was devastated, he couldn't understand why his own parents could be so cruel. He got emancipated and started fighting for elf freedom, but was killed before he could achieve it."_

_Viktor looked shocked._

_"Can I borrow it?"_

_Hermione didn't mind, she gave him the book like it was a precious treasure._

_"Now I understand the pins thing. You are working hard so people accept to free them."_

"In hope someday, change will come for magical creatures." She said now back in the present.

"Missy inspired master." Nissy appeared in front of her, an old red leathered book in her tiny hands.

Hermione gasped, a hand covering her mouth when she recognized the untitled book. She took it carefully and placed it on her lap. Her hands caressing the cover. So he kept it all those years?

"I guess taking a break won't kill me."

The house-elf looked overjoyed with that statement. She brought the young witch alongside with her, showing her every part of the mansion. They spent the entire afternoon playing card games, hide and seek and walking inside and outside the mansion. They ended their tour with the kitchen, Nissy's favorite place, she even convinced the young woman to cook with her and other house-elves.

Up until now, Nissy's mission was a success, Viktor's missy was busy and stopped working on papers. She awarded herself with a bonus point for making her laugh. While cooking, Hermione told Nissy about Dobby and how brave he had been and regaled them with stories of her years at Hogwarts with Harry and Ron. As soon as she mentioned the boys, Nissy saw the hurt in her eyes and started to clown around just to make her smile. Hermione was a kind-hearted girl and she didn't like seeing her sad.

"It smells good in here, what's going on?" Came a voice from behind.

Hermione turned to see Viktor's mother, Sophia.

"Viktor was concerned about me working too hard so he sent Nissy to get me out of the room."

Sophia sat on a stool on the right of Hermione while nodding.

"Clever boy."

"I guess so since even I am willing to admit it was a good thing to take a break from those scrolls."

"His brothers, father and him are having their father-son night so it's just you, me and Nissy tonight."

Hermione smiled, not because she imagined Viktor bonding with his father and brothers once in a while but because Sophia was cunningly avoiding to ask her if she found a solution to her big problem.

"Wanna help us cook?" She asked the older woman.

"I thought you would never ask." She replied, pulling her hair in a ponytail.

The two women cooked together, not really following a precise recipe, just making things they loved. It started good, Sophia regaling Hermione with stories of Viktor's younger years in and outside of school, laughing sometimes at the young man's silliness. But sometimes, Sophia was watching her guest and saw the way she sometimes tried to use a simple spell to get certain things, in vain. She saw the hurt in her eyes and the way she was trying to hide it.

Maybe it was because she was too lost in her mind but she extended her hand to her left without looking and touched the flame of a candle. She yelped under the pain and put her hand under cold water.

"Let me take a look dear."

"No! It's ok!" She said with maybe more force than necessary. "Please, excuse me. I'm gonna go upstairs, I'm tired."

She didn't wait for a reply and ran out of the kitchen.

The house was so big that Hermione got lost while searching for her room. She wanted to be alone but she knew she needed help. She fought back the tears and put on an unflappable mask before calling out for Nissy.

"Yes, missy?"

She looked softly at the small creature.

"Can you show me where my room is?"

Nissy nodded took her hand and they vanished, reappearing in a bathroom. Hermione didn't have time to ask why they were here that the elf was running her a bath. The room stayed silent, neither of them speaking. To say what? When she was finished, Nissy went searching for spare night clothes and finally let her alone. The woman tried clothing the doors with magic but realized once again she couldn't. She closed the door of the bathroom, undressed and got into the bath.

Downstairs, Sophia was reading a book on one of the old armchairs. The front door clicked open and her boys entered, followed by their father a grave expression on their face. She got up and dared to ask.

"How did it go?"

Her husband sighed deeply. "They said they couldn't stop them from coming to get her."

"What?" She exclaimed, a hand on her heart.

"They say she entered illegally on our territory." One of Viktor's brother said.

"Just a backdoor attempt to say after the war they'd rather not get involved in a political conflict with them." Grumbled Viktor.

"Did you ask for refugee status?" Sophia asked her husband.

Ioan paused for a second, searching for a way to put it correctly, but decide to just tell the truth, simple and raw.

"They refused. They say a marriage, even a forced one isn't a valid reason to ask for the refugee status."

"So we lost?" She asked, letting herself fall back on the armchair.

"Maybe not completely." Replied her husband, kneeling in front of her. "I have a good friend there, he said he could maybe search for another legal way to protect her. We just have to give him a few days."

"She may not have a few more days!"

Ioan stayed silent for a while before asking. "Did Hermione come up with a plan?"

"I'm not sure." Her wife answered miserably.

The room fell silent until someone barged in.

"Master!"

Nissy's voice interrupted them. Viktor turned to the small creature and kneeled in front of her.

"What is it, Nissy?"

The small elf looked sadder than ever.

"Missy is sad. She cries in master's room. Nissy tried telling jokes and clowning but Missy doesn't want to smile. She needs master."

Viktor wanted to ask why Hermione was so sad, but not only did he have a small hint but he wanted to be sure. He made all the way up to his room and used his power again to look through the door. She was under the covers of his bed, holding out her injured hand, murmuring healing spells. None of them were working and he saw the way she was gritting her teeth to stop herself from screaming.

He couldn't bear to see her so hurt so he knocked gently at the door and entered. Her look seemed to soften when she saw him. He locked the door behind him and sat on the edge of the bed near her, holding delicately her burned hand. He looked at it and brought it a centimeter to his face.

"Popravyam." He murmured before kissing her palm.

The pain vanished, replaced by the feeling of Viktor's thin lips on her skin. The sweetness of this moment lasted only a second and she felt her eyes watering.

"Viktor." It was barely a whisper, a signal Viktor took seriously.

"What's wrong Mina? You know you can talk to me."

Hermione knew that, but it was good to hear it too.

"I'm losing my power. I feel so weak, so vulnerable and I hate it." The tears that were only threatening to fall were now streaming down her cheeks.

One by one, Viktor erased the offending saline drops with his thumb.

"You are exhausted Mina," he said cupping her cheek with his hand making the young woman closing her eyes and leaning into the touch.

Viktor was about to go grab something for her to eat when she grabbed his arm, looking scared.

"Stay…"

It was the first time Viktor heard Hermione pleading, that alone was telling a lot about how vulnerable she felt. The only positive thing was that she trusted him enough to be vulnerable in front of him. Keeping her hand in his, he removed his shoes and climbed onto the covers near Hermione, holding his friend, protecting her from the nightmares to come.

* * *

_Thanks for reading._

_Do not hesitate to tell me if you see any mistakes or if you think my writing skill is too weak. I'm not a native English speaker or writer so any advice is worth taking. I'm here to improve thanks to you ;)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello, everyone!_

_I'm so happy to be back with this new chapter, I know it took me a while to write it and I'm sorry but with work and all it was hard to find some time to focus on my writing, plus I really wanted it to be good._

I hope you will enjoy reading it :)

* * *

"This can't be true!" Viktor yelled knocking his fist on the table, crackling it and making the parchments bounce.

The living room fell silent, Ioan watched his son discharging his anger on the wooden furniture.

"When?" He simply asked, almost out of breath.

"I have no idea, it could be hours, days… That's all I could get."

"This is too soon dad!"

Hearing his son's pleading was hard enough but what Ioan was about to say was harder.

"No Viktor, this is too late."

Lifting his gaze from the table to the piercing green eyes of his dad, Viktor asked silently what he meant by that.

"As they said, she entered illegally on our territory, even if there was a law that could protect her, she couldn't benefit from it. We lost from the very beginning but we just realized it."

"So what? Are we giving up?"

"Of course not!" His father hissed while trying to keep his voice cool. "I'm just saying that if we want to protect her there's only one way to do it."

Viktor didn't understand straight away what his father meant. It couldn't be fighting because that's what they were doing from the very beginning, but then he remembered the spell his father taught him during the war and he understood. His face contorted with anguish when he got it.

"Are you insane!? You can't seriously consider this option?"

His father, more stoïc, crossed his arms over his chest like he was disappointed in his attitude.

"And what other options does she have Viktor? Running away forever? That's the kind of life you want for her?"

"Of course not! But this spell will take more than her life if we use it."

Ioan sighed, put his hand on his son's and looked straight in his eyes.

"That's why we will use it as a last resort. I consider her family too Viktor you know that, and what do we do for family?"

"We protect it at the peril of our life!" He answered immediately.

"And that's what we're going to do. But don't think too much about that, your mother has a good plan B, we can trust her."

"What's that plan and what happened to plan A?"

For the first time in days, a real smile appeared on Ioan's face.

"Hermione is coming up with plan A, as soon as it's ready we'll hear about it, in the meantime, let your mother refine her plan."

"And what's that great plan of hers?"

Ioan's smile faded out of frustration, his wife had been training Hermione in a small room downstairs for days, not telling anyone what she was doing.

Both men looked at the door leading to the basement, hoping Sophia's plan was a good one.

Downstairs, Sophia and Hermione were sitting crossed legs, eyes closed and palms touching. They started this ritual after they both understood the laws were not gonna get her out this situation, a training that was supposed to help Hermione to reconnect with her powers.

"Alright, now visualize your power!" Sophia's voice was cool and even.

The first step was the easiest one for the young witch, being a Gryffindor, she pictured her power as a burning flame, a symbol of her passion and courage. She danced around the flame, not daring to touch it yet, just scrutinizing it., taking in the beauty of her inner flame.

"Very well, now touch it."

Breathing deeply, Hermione reached out to her flame with both hands. She almost didn't recognize this feeling, the one of power. Her hands started caressing it, feeling a warm feeling taking over her, making her sighed with ease. As the feeling spread through her hands, a white light appeared on them.

"Perfect! Now, let it grow."

Nodding scarcely, Hermione took it to the next level, something she failed to do until now. Palms under the flame, she used the small amount of energy lent by the flame to make it grow. The warmth started to spread through her whole body, so did the white light.

Opening her eyes, Sophia watched her student radiating with power. She smiled to herself and took back her hands, judging that the young witch didn't need her guidance.

When Sophia's connection with her disappeared, Hermione felt suddenly isolated. Her pulse started to accelerate, she felt alone and abandoned, the same way she felt when Remus broke her wand.

NO! Her inner voice screamed. No matter what it takes, she vowed to never feel so helpless again.

She was so scared of losing the only thing she had left, she took her power and merged with it, gasping at its contact. It felt utterly different than before, darker but mightier, scary but intoxicating. She tried to fight it at first, but the more she tried, the more the pictures of Remus and the Weasley's betrayal came to her mind, reminding her how vulnerable they made her feel.

As her anger intensified, the white light faded, absorbed by a dark red aura. Through greeted teeth, she let her power emerged, making the walls shake and the windows cracking.

"Hermione!" Sophia yelled, putting back her palms against her. "Hermione, come back!"

The young with opened her eyes, fire sizzling inside her orbs.

"Out!" She yelled back, sending a shock wave making Sophia fly across the room.

Alerted by the noises, Ioan and Viktor came rushing into the basement and found Hermione in that state. They tried to take a step forward but behind Hermione exploded.

"Mina!" Viktor yelled through the rooms.

That voice! Hermione could have sworn she knew it.

For a brief moment, her tantrum weakened, Viktor felt it. He used this opportunity to ran to her side. Putting his hands on her cheeks, the tried to get her to focus on him.

"Mina! I know you can hear, please come back!"

She was looking at him yet she seemed to not see him.

"Viktor?"

"Yes! It's me, please stop!"

He was right! A part of her knew he was. Concentrating hard enough, she tried to regain control over her emotions. Yelling hard under the effort, a white light emerged through her and exploded, sending them both on the floor. The earthquake immediately stopped after that.

Sophia rushed to Hermione's side while Ioan checked on his son.

"Come on buddy! Up!" He said helping Viktor standing up. "How is she?"

"Unconscious, she fell from exhaustion. Viktor, put on her the sofa in the living room, would you?"

Nodding, her son took the unconscious girl in his arms and took her out of the room.

"What happened here, Sophia?!" Ioan asked through greeted teeth.

"I was helping Hermione reconnecting with her magic. Everything was fine until I stopped guiding her. Shen then lost control over her emotions. Ioan, she has way more power than we thought."

Her husband looked her in the eyes.

"There's something you're not telling me."

Sophia opened her mouth but the front door burst open and her two sons rushed into the house, so they rushed to the living room, their face was contorted by fear.

"They're coming!" They said in unison.

Viktor and his parents went white, they didn't know to hear exactly who was coming, they already knew.

"We saw them in the park, asking where we live. It's only a matter of minutes now!" Nikolaï confirmed.

"Such bad timing!" Ioan muttered to himself. "Alright! Viktor, take Hermione to the chalet and stay there."

"Nissy!" Viktor called out.

"Yes, master!" The small elf replied after appearing by his side.

"Go pack some clothes for Hermione and me, we're leaving."

"Will do!" She quickly disappeared while he went for his broom.

"Forget it, Vik!" Andreï said. "They have Aurors in the air watching the town."

"Damn it!"

"Take the floo network, they won't see you leave."

"Clothes for my master!" Nissy said while giving Viktor a backpack, which Viktor put on.

He took Hermione in his arms and fled by the floo network.

A few minutes after their departure, the Aurors came into the house, surrounding the little family. Remus entered last, followed by Harry and Ron.

"Well, well, well! The Krum family gathered to greet us, minus two important members of the family."

"You're wasting your time Lupin! She's not here anymore." Sophia growled.

"I knew she wouldn't be here, she became so good at running away."

Nikolaï wanted to launch himself at the disrespectful man but his brother caught him by the arm.

"Why are you here if you knew Hermione wouldn't be? To strut?"

*It would be childish of me. No, we just wanted you to give her that." He punctuated his sentence with a flick of his fingers.

Harry took a paper out of his robe and handed it to Sophia. The matriarch read it and went white, her family joined her and the colours dropped from their face too.

"Is it a joke?"

"No joke Mrs. Krum," Harry answered almost politely. "Our government wants that wedding more than anything. Whether she wants it or not, she's gonna come with us."

Sophia and Ioan shared a look.

"What do you mean?"

Harry was about to answer when Remus stopped him.

"It means Hermione has responsibilities she needs to face and assume. Now, we all know our government gave us carte blanche to get her back to England. Give her the paper and try to convince her that the best way to solve this problem is to come with us on her own."

Judging by the look of sheer disgust on their face, Remus decided he wasn't going to push his luck.

"Let's go, everyone!"

Moving prudently, the Aurors kept a close eye on the family, especially on the two sons who looked about to explode from anger. When their enemies left, Andreï used his powers to slam all the doors close.

"Fucking British!"

"How long do you think they'll wait before coming back?" Nicolaï asked his parents.

"I don't know, but Hermione and Viktor are safe in the chalet." His mother replied.

"Meaning we are the one to decide when they'll come back," Ioan added.

"Can't we hide her forever?"

Both parents looked at each other, the same idea had crossed their mind momentarily, but...

"As hard as it is to admit it, they are well-trained wizards, they will find them whether we like it or not."

"I thought you trained Hermione to reconnect with her magic mom, can't we fight them?" Andreï asked.

"That is a talk for later." Ioan interfered. "First, we need to warn Hermione about this..." He stopped himself, pointing at the disgusting piece of paper in his wife's hands.

"That will only scare her dear!"

"Good! She needs some motivation to come up with a plan to stop them, otherwise, we might trigger a political war between England and Bulgaria."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sitting in front of the fireplace hands joined together, Viktor stared at the flames, faithful reflection of his anger. The night was dark outside and the wind was blowing hard, a snowstorm will soon be on them providing the best protection against enemies. The soft crackling of the wood was the only sound in the chalet, Hermione didn't wake since they arrived several hours ago. The young man was still trying to figure out what happened in the basement, but stopped quickly, after all that wasn't the most important event of the day.

Damn Aurors, making them ran away like cowards!

Viktor's fist clenched so hard his phalanxes whitened. He was a warrior, a fighter yet he had to flee, but knowing it was to protect Hermione eased his tension. He never forgot her and the time they spent together at Hogwarts. He remembered the long nights in the library talking about house-elves freedom and Quidditch, their favourite topics. Strangely, their late-night talks made him a better wizard and a better man, Hermione telling how you could teach important values to young men through sports, values they could adapt in their everyday life to make them not only better player, but better persons. For her young age, she was way more mature than any girls Viktor ever met, that's when he started falling for her.

If she hadn't helped him during the Triwizard Tournament, he would never have made it through the last war, her advice sticking to his mind like glue.

_If you want to win, _she said, _you have to choose: brutality or deception? _

That is thanks to her sage words he was sitting still in his chalet instead of flying out, tracking those who dared hurt her, because he made his choice that night.

Stirring in her sleep, Hermione moved on her side facing Viktor. Glancing towards her, Viktor looked at her peaceful face, he stood up and made his way over the bed, pulling the covers up before caressing delicately her hair. How he wished she was his, part of a family and a community that would love, accept and protect her. A sad smile stretched his lips, he thought about that the day she stormed back into his life, but Hermione was no woman to accept such a solution. She was not overly proud nor did she was naive to the point of thinking she could marry out of love, but she didn't want someone she cared for ruining his life with a forced marriage.

A soft knock on the window took him out of his reverie. An owl was outside the window, begging him to let it in, Viktor recognized his mom's owl Boris and let it in. Boris flew over the table and dropped the paper it was grasping before resting on the nearest chair, nodding his head from side to side. Viktor closed the window before taking the paper and unfolding it, a small letter, apparently hidden inside, fell to the ground. Viktor bent over to take it, the name _Ginny _could be read. A small voice inside Viktor begged him to burn the offending letter but it was for Hermione and only she should decide what to do with it. Putting the envelope on the wooden table, he finally reported his attention to the papers in his hands, his eyes widened when reading the title on the front page.

"Why do you only bring me bad news Boris?" Viktor asked slightly amused.

The owl hooting in return.

Outside the chalet, perched on the branch of an old tree, an owl was watching the fugitives.

"I found them!" Harry exclaimed seeing through his owl's eyes.

"Good job Harry! This new spell you created is very useful in the end." Remus smiled.

"Let's get her now!" Ron added impatiently.

"Patience Weasley! Not only a snowstorm is approaching but this is not the right time."

The two boys looked skeptically at their former teacher.

"So why bother to give them the Daily Prophet if not to discover their secret location?" Harry asked almost angrily, feeling like his well-thought plan was useless.

"We call that a smokescreen dear Harry and the point was for Hermione to read it."

Harry's confusion was growing bigger now.

"You know Moony! She smarter than any of us, if you let her she could come up with a fantastic plan."

Seeing the doubts on Harry's face, Remus continued.

"The Daily Prophet was a smokescreen to discover their location, yes. But the main purpose of it is to scare Hermione."

"Isn't she already?" Ron asked.

"Not yet, but thanks to it, she will feel overwhelmed and as soon as it will happen, we'll win."

"How?"

"Fear is the worst weapon you can use against an enemy, it makes them taking bad decisions."

"So now what?" Harry asked.

"Now we wait." Remus simply stated.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Waking up to the sound of the wind blowing hard, Hermione started wondering where she was. Opening her eyes, she didn't recognize the place but one thing was for sure, it wasn't the Krum's mansion anymore. She would've panicked if not for the presence of Viktor, sitting on an old wooden chair near a fireplace. His head hanging on the side, he was clearly dozing off. Pulling the covers off her body she made her way towards him and put her hand on his shoulder, he jerked awake looking everywhere around him until he saw her. He let his head falls back, eyes closed.

"You're awake." He didn't know why but he had to make that statement.

Her hand moved from his shoulder to his cheek, caressing it with her thumb, the young man melting under her touch.

"Go get some rest." She whispered against his ear.

Just like a mermaid's chant, her voice compelled him to obey. He nodded feebly, not moving yet. Bending over, she dropped a small kiss on his forehead forcing him to open his eyes and meet her chocolate brown eyes. They didn't share a word, they never needed them. This private moment, Viktor wished he could make it last forever, but he couldn't. He glanced to the side and Hermione followed his gaze to find the Daily Prophet and the letter on the table.

Dropping her hand from his face, she sighed and went to pick the letter while Viktor stood up and went to lay on the bed.

Unfolding the envelope, Hermione went to seat on the edge of the window.

_My Dearest Hermione,_

_I hope this letter will find you well._

_I don't know how to tell you how deeply sorry I am for what happened at my wedding. I never wanted to betray you, you are my best friend, I just believed what Harry told me, that this wedding would be the best thing to happen to you. I guess I didn't want to face the truth and its implications. Please, believe me when I say I am sorry._

_But this is not a please-forgive-me letter, it is a let-me-help-you letter. I know this may be hard to believe but after everything that happened, I finally realized this wedding will only destroy you and I don't want to lose you. If you let me, I can help you run away, all you have to do is to meet me at our favourite place tomorrow at noon._

_Let me be the friend you needed me to be weeks ago._

_Ginny ~ Your friend._

Confused, questions started to pop in Hermione's mind. Why did Ginny want to help her suddenly? Why tomorrow? Hermione didn't have all the information, but then she realized she hadn't read the Daily Prophet resting on the table. She made her way over the table and carefully unfolded the papers, spreading out the front page. To say the title surprised her would be exaggerated, but she must admit that she didn't expect them to use that kind of psychologic trick. Frowning, she went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife and came back. She wasn't a little girl anymore, she was a Gryffindor and she intended to win this war.

Lifting her right hand she knocked the knife down on the table.

"Game on!" She murmured, knowing exactly what she had to do.

She went to lay next to a sleeping Viktor, leaving the knife stuck on the table, piercing through the picture of a smiling wizard on the first page of the Daily Prophet, just under the headline:

_**GRANGER & JACK: Wedding of the year!**_

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Don't forget to leave a comment, it always helps me to know what you liked or disliked.

Don't hesitate to tell me if there are things you'd like to see ;-)


	5. Chapter 5

_Hi everyone, I wanted to thank you all for your reviews, without them I wouldn't be motivated to continue._

_Now, let's take a look at what Hermione has planned against Remus :)_

_Enjoy!_

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Sitting on the windowsill, wrapped up in a blanket, Hermione looked absentmindedly outside. The snowstorm was weakening and she felt it, it now a matter of hours before the Aurors plunge on them. On the other side of the room, Viktor was sleeping soundlessly on the couch, a thin burgundy plaid covering his naked torso. After all those years, Hermione was still amazed by how warm her friend was, so warm it was like he was never cold. She admired him a few minutes before tearing a gaze away. They were coming, she could feel it. Part of her wanted to leave stealthily, ashamed by our she was putting Viktor's family in danger but another part of her forced her to stay, arguing that she needed them if she wanted her plan to work out. She wasn't proud of what she came up with, but she knew they'd understand, they had to!

Standing up, she put the blanket she was wrapped up in on the couch and went to sit on the edge of the bed. Viktor's breath was even, he didn't look peaceful though, he was almost serious. Hermione extended her hand towards his cheek but Viktor caught her wrist before, not opening his eyes.

"You couldn't sleep either."

It was not a question, it was a statement and he knew it. Opening his eyes slowly, he looked straight at her, eyes cold as ice, jaw clenched, body tensed.

"Get ready, the snowstorm is weakening."

The way she said that made Viktor cringed. He knew his attitude wasn't engaging, but since she read that letter from Ginny and read the newspaper, it was like she knew right away what to do, and when he tried to reach out to her, she turned in on herself but tried to hide it by sharing her big plan with him. But Viktor wasn't one to be fooled around, he knew her way too well to be deceived. He was certain she kept things from him, but now the only thing he saw was a terrified young woman, maybe he was blinded by his own fears.

Getting up from the bed he grabbed his shirt, pulled it over his head and hugged her from behind, trying to lend her some strength.

"It's going to be ok, I promise." He whispered.

Body stilled like a marble statue, she replied blankly.

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

That's exactly what she said to him the day of his departures from Hogwarts. He promised to come to see her as often as he could but never did.

"Today is different, I'm here and I won't leave you anymore."

Looking intently in front of her, she waited before answering, as if she was choosing her words carefully.

"You will have to."

She freed herself from him to take a small bag resting on the table and handing it to him.

"Go now."

Viktor stilled when she handed him the bag, he was starting to doubt himself, but something in the young woman's eyes compelled him to push away his hesitance. Taking the bag, he moved back and disappeared in the floo network.

Viktor arrived at his home and rushed to the living room where everyone awaited his arrival.

"We don't have much time!" He said before handing them the potions inside the bag. "Drink this and listen closely!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Safely hidden inside an old church, Remus smiled while looking at the sky. It was a matter of seconds before the snowstorm ends. Even if a part of him was sorry for having to use force to bring Hermione back, he was excited to see what the young witch has come up with to face a whole team of Aurors. Will she be smarter than them all?

Turning towards his squad, he asked for their attention. Suddenly, all faces turned towards him.

"The moment has come, my friends! Today, we are gonna bring Hermione back home, where she belongs. I know some of you don't like this and trust me when I say I'm one of them. But it is a mission given by our government, our country and it is our duty as Aurors to execute the orders. No matter what happens today, don't let your feelings get involved."

Remus paused for a moment.

"You all know what to do, now go!"

Every nodded before rushing outside.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The first group arrived at the chalet where they hoped Hermione still was. They circled the old wooden habitation, taking careful steps towards it as they remembered how their last encounter with the young fugitive went.

There was no light and no sound inside, just the crackling of the old wood under their feet. It was so dark inside they couldn't see a few feet away from them so they all lit their wand in unison, only to discover Hermione standing in the center of the room, her hands hidden behind her back. All wands were pointed at her and the men holding them yelled at her to raise her hands slowly.

"Hello, gentlemen!" She said before doing as she was told while looking at every Aurors circling her. "Right where I want you to be."

"What's in your hands?" The tallest Auror asked.

"Drop them!" Another yelled.

She smiled at them. "If you insist!"

She lit the two lighters in her hands and dropped them. When they hit the oil covering the wooden floor, the flames started licking their way towards the Aurors. Taken aback, they were not realizing what happened until the fire hit a small bundle that exploded at its contact, making the Aurors fly across the room. But the potion not being so strong, the Aurors got back on their feet quickly only to find out Hermione disappeared. Wands in hand they looked everywhere which was strange since the chalet wasn't that big.

One of the Aurors's wand started to tremble in his hand, he heard legends about his target and although he has been trained for that, he still was scared of her. His train of thoughts was interrupted by a hand on his mouth, followed by a kick at the back of his knee and an arm snaking around his neck. A few seconds later, he fell unconscious. Alerted by the slight noise, every Aurors turned around to see their target and pointed their wands at her but she dodged and hid in a dark corner. They were about to come to her when a loud pop was heard at the entrance.

There she was, standing in front of them and ready to escape.

"You missed Missy!"

Without waiting any longer she ran out of the house, followed by her enemies.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Perched on a house, Remus and Harry looked at the Krum's Mansion while a group of wizards led by Tonks walked towards it. They were gonna achieve their mission and bring Hermione back where she belongs. They knew that was not what she wanted but sometimes what you want is not necessarily what you need. Both men will never forget how hard she fought by their sides against Voldemort. She has had her fair share of suffering and losses but she wasn't the only one. Ronald lost his brother during the final fight, Harry lost his parents, Cedric and Sirius. They sacrificed everything and never complained since it led them to Voldemort's death, so watching Hermione making such a fuss around this new law angered them.

Using her powers, Tonks opened the doors of the mansion, she was about to ask everyone to start searching when she spotted Hermione and the patriarch of the Krum family standing in the middle of the living room.

"This will be easier than I thought!" She exclaimed, stepping inside.

"You think?" Hermione asked with a smile on her face.

Tonks narrowed her eyes at the young witch. Why did she look so smug? There was a trick she just knew it.

"Be very careful, I'm sure it's just a trap."

"We call that a smokescreen my dear." She replied casually.

"Look! Above us!" An Auror replied, pointing out two hooded forms on a broom.

Looking between Hermione and the fugitives, she decided to stay here and rushed towards her targets who pulled out their wands, ready to fight.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Outside the mansion, Remus saw tho persons on a broom trying to escape.

"Harry! These ones are yours!"

Nodding firmly, Harry cast the Accio spell to summon his broom and hunt them.

"Go and help him!" Remus said, "we're never too careful."

"Yes, sir!"

The other Aurors took out their brooms and joined Harry in his chase.

Remus stayed passive for a few minutes, hearing the explosion caused by different offensive spells and the grunts of his Aurors. Looking up, he saw the hooded forms dodging the spells and the attackers with extreme dexterity. Five minutes later, it was over, the hooded figure fell off their broom and landed on a rooftop while Tonks was bringing back Hermione and the Ioan Krum.

The other group of Aurors were bringing Hermione back on their broom too and this was when Remus understood that something had gone wrong. Three Hermione! Something in his mind screamed it was just a smokescreen, but where was the original one?

Turning around, he looked at the bunch of people gathered to witness this, while they were all glued together, a dark figure was walking at a fast pace towards the Ministry. Pulling out his wand, Remus cast a powerful spell that made the wind blow, making her hood fly into the air, revealing Hermione just as he thought.

"Get her!" He simply yelled.

Not wasting any more time, she started running towards the Ministry while Remus screamed at the top of his lungs to catch her before she reached the Ministry.

"Remus! What's wrong?" Tonks asked.

"She fooled us! These," he pointed out to Hermione's clones "were just a smokescreen so we don't see her running towards the Ministry. If we don't catch her before she reaches it, she will seek asylum."

"I thought she couldn't."

"She couldn't until we arrived and started attacking her. Under suspicion of mortal danger, she can seek asylum!"

They turned to look at Harry leading other Aurors on their brooms casting offensive spells, but Hermione dodged them all, never Remus would have thought she was that athletic. He frowned, did she trained during her time here? Even if she did so, could she be able to dodge them so easily? Something was wrong.

"Damn you Granger and your mind tricks!"

Hermione was now just a few meters away from the Ministry, Harry sent the Bombarda spell. The force of the explosion threw her against the wooden doors. Extending her hand, she tried to reach for her freedom, but a luminous rope caught her wrist and pulled her towards Harry who trussed her tightly.

"I'm sorry 'Mione." He mumbled under his breath.

Remus and the other Hermiones as well as Ioan and Andreï, gathering them together.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, now tell me, who is the real Hermione Granger?"

* * *

_Sorry it took me so long_

_This chapter was more difficult than I imagined, I came up with lots of different ideas but couldn't write anything. I'm still a bit disappointed by this chapter (which is shorter than the others). If you have any suggestions on how to make it better I'm all ears._

_Also, I want to apologize, I love cliffhangers and it was too tempting to finish this chapter like this._

_But don't worry I'm already working on the next part ;)_


	6. Chapter 6

Tied up and huddled together, the prisoners looked defiantly at the British Aurors who just captured them. Proud of themselves, the half dozens of men and women laughed at their sullen expression. Remus stood over them and looked down at the four doppelgangers of Hermione, even though he was disappointed by the woman's resistance, he was also impressed by what she put up against his whole team. The wisest witch of her age almost got him, she could be proud of herself, but now the game was over.

"You fought well my friends, now tell me who is the real Hermione!"

Teeth clenched, the little group refused to obey.

"We're not your friends Lupin!" Muttered Ioan. "So don't expect us to help you."

"You're very brave Mr. Krum, but resistance is futile. Now, let's try again, who is the real Hermione?"

A small smile spread Ioan's lips. "What makes you think she's here?"

"Simple mathematics Sir. You and your wife have three sons and if we count Hermione since you took her under your wing, you are a family of six and I have six prisoners here. Look, if you want to do it the hard way..."

"Who do you think we are exactly?" Andreï asked. "We're not British Aurors! We are the Krums! We wan resist your magic all day long."

Remus looked at the eldest of the brothers with an eyebrow raised.

"If you are implying torture young man you are far from the truth. No, I was thinking about a great spell Harry here stole from Hermione. It's really useful, it allows us to extract the potion you took out of your system."

Remus stopped talking and got closer to him.

"In case you don't understand, as soon as the polynectar will be out of their system, they will take back their original appearance. It's over, Mr. Krum."

Ioan scoffed, not impressed by Remus' assurance. Irritated by the Bulgarian family, Remus yelled at his Aurors to take out their wands and start taking the potion out of their system. Obeying, they used Hermione's spell and soon, a strange liquid started coming out of every Hermiones' mouth, except for one.

"What's wrong Ronald?" Remus asked.

"I don't know, the spell isn't working."

Snickering at the young Auror's attempt, Ioan tried really hard to scream with laughter. "I see you're still as pathetic as you were at Hogwarts, no wonder why Hermione chose my son over you."

Tightening his grip on his wand, teeth clenched, Ron tried to resist the urge to punch the Bulgarian. What he was referring to was that night at Hogwarts, during the Triwizard Tournament. Dumbledore announced the incoming Yule Ball and Ron took his time gathering the courage to ask Hermione to accompany him, but Viktor asked her first and she accepted.

Turning his head, Ron glared at him. "What do you know about her Krum? You never met her!"

Ioan looked back at him, a sly smile on his face. "I know her more than you can imagine. During all those years, my son and she never stopped messaging. I know how bad you made her feel for having chosen Viktor for the Yule Ball. I know what kind of 'friend' you and Potter were. I know that when she needed help, she turned to us and didn't turn to you or Potter, why? Because she knows she cannot trust you! Face it, Mr. Weasley, Hermione needs a man, not a boy."

As Ron and Ioan kept glaring at each other, the Hermiones were starting to change and ultimately, took back their original appearance, revealing Sophia, Nikolaï and Viktor.

"Finally!" Remus laughed, applauding. "You put up quite a fight Hermione, but it's over."

"Damn, you're right!" Answered Sophia.

Surprise by the excess of confidence, Remus looked at the matriarch's eyes, but she wasn't looking at him. Turning around, he was wizards and witches rushing towards them. Suddenly, apparating among them, the Bulgarian Ministry yelled at them to put their wands down.

"What does that mean? We are sent by our Ministry to capture Hermione Granger! Why are arrested?"

A man, who seemed to be the leader of the group walked towards Remus. "Mrs. Granger is your target, correct! So maybe you can explain to me why is there an innocent Bulgarian family, on the ground, tied up like prisoners?"

"Our Ministry allowed casualties as long as we capture her!" Remus answer proudly.

Scoffing, the Minister was expecting this answer. "That would've been true if you had captured her."

Frowning, Remus pointed at Hermione behind her. "What do you mean? Look at her, she's here!"

"For an Auror, Lupin, you really are naïve." The Minister answered, shaking his head before looking at her. "Show them."

Hermione cringed under the watchful eyes of the whole crowd. She expected it to happen, after all, it was the plan, but she didn't like it. Behind her, someone freed her hands and the woman snapped her fingers. Balls of light started turning around her, blinding everyone. The lights died down, revealing...

"Nissy?" The whole Krum family stated, shock clear in their voice.

The house-elf bend her hand down, not ready to break the bad news.

"What's the meaning of this? Nissy, where is Mina?" Viktor asked.

"Sorry Master, Missy begged Nissy to help."

"Where is she?" He asked again, more firmly this time.

"She knows it's trap, but Missy said it was only way to freedom for her. Nissy knows why freedom is important. Nissy just wanted to help."

Closing his eyes, Viktor cursed Hermione for the first time. "Ginny Weasley sent Hermione a letter. It was a trap."

Viktor's family looked at him incredulously while Remus and Ron started laughing. Turning their face towards them, everyone glared at the pair.

"I can't believe Ginny's plan worked!" Ron snickered. "I told her she was too smart to fall for it. Good job, little sister!"

"How dare you..."

"Don't!" Sophia interrupted her husband, looking deep in thoughts.

"What?" Ioan looked at his wife, stunned by her lack of reaction. "What's wrong?"

Looking around, she met dumbfounded expression. She sighed before looking at her husband. "Can't you see what she did?"

She was hoping Ioan had understood but he was as lost as anyone here. Turning her head, she looked straight at the Aurors who had stopped laughing. "She used us." She stopped and looked at her family. "All of us."

"You're lying," Remus muttered, afraid that if he didn't deny it, it might be true.

Shaking her head, Sophia laughed at him. "Wisest witch of her age. I know now why you call her that. She fooled two governments, our family and the whole unit of Aurors."

Wounded in his pride, Remus couldn't help but ask how did Hermione defeat him and his unit?

"Pretty simple. She spent days looking through local and international laws and didn't find a single law that could help her. It was at that moment she knew she couldn't win legally and Ginny's letter came at the right time."

"How come Ginny Weasley's trap arrived at the right time?" Nikolaï asked.

"Ginny offered her the opportunity to come closer to her real enemies. Her future husband and the Ministry who doomed her to be a housewife."

"But why would Hermione want to get closer to them?" Iona wondered.

Remus, who was now as pale as a ghost, answered. "She wants to destroy them."

"But the Aurors were on her way and she needed to get rid of them so they wouldn't interfere. But she couldn't do it alone, so she used us. She came up with a big plan, pretending it was her only way out. And it worked, thanks to us, you're out of her way now."

Looking at her with a mix of fear and disbelief in his eyes, Remus started laughing nervously. "No! It's insane! She hasn't enough power."

He wanted Sophia to consider the question and to agree with him, but judging by the serious look on her face, she won't agree. "You're not that naïve, Remus. You saw what she did at the wedding! She almost did it again not too long ago."

"That girl is dangerous! Let us go, we need to warn our government."

"I'm afraid you're not going anywhere anytime soon."

"Are you seriously doing this? This girl is dangerous!"

Ioan took a step forward, ready to strangle him, but his wife calmly stopped him. "Hermione is like a lioness. And your government is about to see what happens when you try to put a lioness in a cage."

"Mom, I hate that idea but maybe he's right." Viktor objected. "We all saw what happened in the basement, she lost control."

Putting a hand on his cheek, Sophia smiled at her son. "I know you're worried about her, so am I. But this is Hermione's battle. There's no turning back now."

And Viktor knew that too well.

Exchanging a knowing look with his father, they silently nodded. At that moment, Viktor and his father hoped and prayed for the young witch to win this war, because their ultimate alternative was something both men were not ready for.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Keeping her head up as she walked with Ginny through the forbidden forest. She tried her best not to glance sideways as she felt people following them. Tightening the side of her coat around her, she tried to hide her shaking hands, her enemies must not see her tremble.

"You did the right choice, Hermione!" Ginny reassured her.

Hermione nodded briefly, making her believe she swallowed anything. Or maybe Ginny knew Hermione wasn't buying anything and kept pretending anyway.

The forbidden forest remained the same, dark, cold and yet familiar to the young witch. She spent some time here, creating spells and training to be better than Harry, Ron and basically anyone in Hogwarts. During all her years at this school, people always underestimated her because of her blood status. But today, she was gonna change that.

After a good hour of walking through the forest, the got out the emerald land.

"Here we are!" Ginny said before turning around, jumping in surprise when Hermione extended her hands at her, silently asking her to do what she was asked. "'Mione?"

"I'm not a fool Ginny. I know why we're here. So do it!"

She barely had time to react that solid ropes wrapped themselves around her wrist.

"You did take your time, Mrs. Weasley." Minerva McGonagall said, walking slowly towards them.

Closing her eyes, a small smile appeared on Hermione's lips. "So it was you I sensed back in the forest. Should've known it was you."

"I'm not doing this on my own free will." She defended herself.

Opening her eyes, she glared at her former teacher. "That's what every coward says."

"Hermione Granger!" A man's voice came from behind her. "I'm so glad we finally meet!"

Not knowing who that was, she decided not to turn back and kept her head high. "So you're the owner of that fetid odour back there."

Taking more steps forward, he placed himself in front of her. The man was as tall as Viktor, brown hair, blue eyes, a square jaw and a cocky expression plastered on his face. "I heard you had a bad temper, I'm gonna have fun taming the beast in you."

"And who do you think you are? A tamer? I faced real creatures who would make you wet your pants." She ended her sentence with a snicker before looking up and down.

"My name's Andrew Jack and soon you'll be known as Mrs. Hermione Jack."

"Not if I kill you first."

"I'm afraid the Aurors who captured you won't let that happen."

She raised an eyebrow. "That's why I took care of them before coming. If they're not dead by now, they're probably rotting in a cell."

Andrew's smile faded. Extending his right arm to the side, two men apparated. "Well then, these gentlemen will escort you to the dungeon where you will wait for the wedding. And here I was thinking about allowing you to sleep in my room."

"Such a tragedy." She said pretending to be hurt by the punishment.

"Take her out of my sight!"

"Gladly!" She answered before the men.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sitting on a bench in her cell crossed legs, Hermione waited patiently for the night to fall. Her plan was working perfectly. This idiot locked her in the dungeon thinking he was safe now, but no one could save him.

Inspiring deeply, she tried to touch her power again, just like Sophia taught her… before she lost control and almost destroyed her house. Thinking back about the accident, she realized that fear was the spark that exacerbated her powers. Fear and anger. They were powerful triggers and she was tempted to use them again. But the rational part of her brain was trying to identify the other side of the coin, the other trigger who allowed her to touch her power without losing control. She was wise, she could discover this secret, if only she had more time.

"Here I am!" Yelled Enny who apparated in her cell.

Reacting quickly, the young woman covered his mouth with her hand and looked at the dungeon's entrance. No one seemed to have heard him. Sighing out of relief, she released her hold on him.

"Enny! I'm so glad you heard me." She exclaimed, hugging him tightly.

"Miss Granger is still a good telepath."

She huffed. "I was scared not to succeed. Now, destroy the chains I need to get out."

Snapping his fingers, Enny freed Hermione from her chains and then opened the door of her cell.

"Where are you going?" Enny asked.

"I need to get more power, so I'm gonna head to the library, I can steal some power from the dark arts books."

"Very interesting!" A deep voice came from the entrance.

Turning around quickly, Hermione clenched her fists at the sight of Andrew Jack.

"Do you think I'm stupid enough to let my guard down with you? I know everything about you and your liking for these creatures. I knew you would have one of them to help you."

Too stunned and unprepared, Hermione didn't dare to move.

"Such a shame! I wanted to keep you and break you but the Ministry insisted they wanted you dead."

Taking a knife out of his coat, he held it by the blade and in one swift movement, threw it towards Hermione who put her hands in front of her and closed her eyes.

Nothing hit her. She heard something fell loudly on the floor in front of her. Opening her eyes slowly, her heart skipped a beat. Laying on his back, the knife planted in his chest was the small house-elf.

Dropping to the floor, a hand over her heart, the other on her mouth, she watched life leaving the tiny creature's body. The knife had pierced his heart. It was too late.

Eyes closed, teeth clenched, she fought harder than ever not to cry out of anger and pain. Then it happened. Her whole body started to shiver uncontrollably, lightly at first as the power start to bubble inside her. The more her powers grew, the stronger the spasms got as it burned her from inside. Unable to stop the pain, she started screaming in agony, up until she accepted to unleash this new force, breaking its cage.

The spasms stopped. Opening her eyes, they were entirely coloured dark red. She turned to Andrew a gaze full of hatred and slowly got up.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hi everyone!_

_This chapter is a bit shorter and the next one will probably be too. I could've merged them together but I didn't want one chapter to be too long._

_Anyway, I hope you will love it too!_

* * *

Paralyzed in the little corridor leading to the cells, Jack could only watch as Hermione screamed in agony, though he couldn't understand why. The knife hasn't hurt her! Or maybe she was devastated by the death of the little creature. Whatever the reason was, something was wrong! She was shaking violently and screaming like she was being tortured, then it all stopped abruptly. She got up slowly and turned a dark red gaze towards him. Never in his life had the young wizard saw anything like that.

"What are you?" He spat, taking out his wand.

Hermione didn't answer, just looked at him with a blank expression.

"Bombarda Maxima!" He yelled.

Raising her left hand quickly in front of her, she blocked the spell easily.

Eyes wide in shock, the wizard couldn't believe his eyes. Without wand or incantation, she deflected his spell. She was out of control, he needed to stop her now!

"Avada Kedavra!"

His smile grew wide. This unforgivable curse was unstoppable, as soon as it touches its target, this latter dies. Just before the curse reaches her, Hermione vanished into blue flames.

Panicked, Jack looked everywhere around him. The corridor was empty.

Hermione emerged behind his back from the same blue flames. Sensing her presence, Jack turned around but was too slow as Hermione grabbed him by the throat and lifted him in the air, her powers making her ten times stronger. Squirming in her grip, all coherent thoughts left his mind as the air left his lungs.

"Please!" He begged.

Tilting her head, she had an empty look in her eyes. Before he realized, she snapped his neck in one swift movement before throwing his body away. Staring at her hands, she couldn't help but growl. She wasn't satisfied. He was just a pawn, useless and too easy to eliminate. His death didn't change her situation. If she wanted to be free, she needed more powers. Knowing where she could find more powers, she vanished into her blue flames.

She appeared in one of the corridors of Hogwarts, one she knew by heart.

"I knew you'd come here. After all, you were my favourite student," McGonagall said behind her.

Without turning, Hermione replied. "You knew me, a long time ago."

"Yet you're still the same."

A sly smile on her face, Hermione turned towards her former teacher. "Not anymore!"

A hand over her heart, McGonagall looked at her with wide eyes. "What happened to you?"

"I grew up. And I am tired of letting someone else dictate my life. I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."

A melancholic smile grew on McGonagall's face. "William Ernest Henley. Your favourite poet." She paused, glancing at the door behind Hermione. "You know I can't let you go in there."

"I'm not asking for permission."

"I knew you'd say that," she replied, lifting her hand. Soon after, all of Hermione's former teachers entered the corridor with a few students.

"Looks like the Ministry is expending the number of its pawns."

"I don't want to hurt you, but you need help."

Bending her head on the side, she sent her a quizzical look. "If that was true, you'd help me destroy the Ministry, not try to stop me!"

"By stopping you we are helping you. That anger is gonna destroy you, just like it did to Tom."

Frowning at that, the little group could feel Hermione's anger growing as well as her powers. "Do not compare me to him!"

Taking their wands out, the teachers and their students got ready for the battle. The teachers were looking at the young witch with a mix of determination and sadness in their eyes, while their student looked terrified. Hermione's pupils were barely visible, hidden behind a dark red cloak, symbol of the burning anger that consumed her.

The silence was so thick, so intense that a young Gryffindor launched the first attack with a spell Hermione redirected against a Slytherin. Right after, teachers and students launched spells, but the young woman used her newfound powers to dodge them with grace or deflect them. Sometimes, she vanished into blue flames to appear behind someone and, with one punch, sending them flying in the air.

After a minute, Hermione got tired. She appeared in front of someone and grabbed him by the throat.

"Stop! Or I snap his neck!" Hermione yelled.

Everyone in the corridor froze in shock. They knew she was ready to fight for her life, but never had they really imagined she would actually kill someone.

"Mrs. Granger!" Yelled McGonagall.

"Stop fighting me or I won't hold back anymore." She tightened her grip on the Ravenclaw's throat to prove her point.

"But how many people will die if I let you walk that door?"

"I don't know, but one thing's for sure if you stand in my way, you will die too. Think hard professor, you're no match for me!"

Frozen, the new headmistress looked at her colleagues and young students lying on the floor, hurt or unconscious. Fortunately, no one was dead. They were supposed to stop Hermione from having access to the dark arts grimoire, but even they couldn't stop her. They could fight a lethal battle against her, but she knew they would lose. Putting her wand down, she silently gave up. Her colleagues and student mirrored her action.

Hermione waited a few more seconds before letting go of the Ravenclaw. She turned toward the door and raised a right hand, sending a shockwave that made the door explode. She walked into the library with firm steps, knowing exactly where to find the restricted area. Once she arrived in front of the locked entrance, she put her hand on the wooden door and focused. Every student stupid enough to try to open this door ended up in the hospital wing, underestimating the powerful force field protecting it.

The door illuminated itself, reacting to the sudden attack. Hermione flinched under the force of the barrier but held on. Jaw clenched, she growled under the pressure. The more it resisted, the angrier she became. With one last push, she destroyed the barrier in a loud explosion, making her fly backwards against a shelf.

Getting up slowly, Hermione had to gather all her will to keep on moving. Using a small amount of her power, she chose some books and moved them onto a table. With a flick of her hand, she opened them. Taking a deep breath, she buried her hands inside the open books, letting their magic words making their way across her skin, up to her eyes. As the last lines disappeared in her eyes, they darkened even more and became dark black.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Is this a sick game to you?!" Remus yelled, still on his knees. "Let us go!"

Sophia looked at him, a stern expression on her face.

"It can be seen as a game, one where you established the rules." She paused and smiled to herself. "But I didn't see you complain when you handed us that newspaper."

Ioan smirked at the comment, remembering all too well how confident and disrespectful they were at the time.

"This isn't a game!" Remus yelled. "My Ministry is in danger and you keep us here because we hurt your feelings? How selfish!"

"You better watch what you say Lupin!" Ioan replied. "Your Ministry started this when he forced a marriage on a woman who'd rather kill herself with cyanide than comply."

Harry and Ron suddenly looked down, remembering all too well when Ginny stole Hermione's cyanide seed. Their heart stopped at that moment, realizing they had been close to losing their best friend.

"I'm just a messenger. I obey the orders."

"And that's why you're staying here. You can't even think for yourself."

"Please." Remus pleaded, eyes closed.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Ioan glared at the man. "Can't believe they sent you after her. You're on your knees and already begging for your freedom, how pathetic! Even when her whole country was against her, Hermione never begged."

"Take them away!" Sophia demanded.

The Bulgarian wizards were about to take their prisoners when a red-haired man apparated in front of them and fell on his knees. His face was covered in blood, but his wounds seemed superficial.

"Dad!" Ron cried. "What happened?"

Ioan and Sophia looked at the man who they considered as an enemy but decided to help him and tend to his wounds.

"Hermione happened!" Arthur simply replied.

The name got everyone to freeze in shock, fearing to admit that she did that to the man.

"Can you be clearer?" Ioan asked.

Arthur got lost in the memories of what just happened, remembering Hermione, the explosions and that hatred he saw in her eyes.

"Arthur! What happened?" Remus asked.

"She destroyed everything." He replied in a low voice, visibly still in shock. "A part of me wants nothing more than to believe it wasn't Hermione who did this, but I can't…"

"What are you talking about?" Sophia asked.

"I looked in her eyes and didn't recognize her. There was so much hatred in her eyes, and it's all because of us."

"I hope you're happy with the results!" Sophia spat.

Arthur, still deep in thoughts, didn't reply, just mumbled. "There was something wrong about her."

While Ioan and Sophia shook their heads, thinking he was just dumbfounded by the fact a young witch destroyed a whole Ministry by herself, Viktor, immensely worried about her, kneeled in front of the man.

"Something's wrong." He repeated.

"Arthur! Focus! What was wrong with Mina?"

The patriarch of the Weasley family looked up, a terrified expression on his face. "She was too powerful!"

Taking his remark as an insult about the young woman, Sophia was quick to defend her. "She has more power than you imagine, Mr. Weasley."

Shaking his head vigorously, Arthur answered. "No, you don't understand! Her magic is powerful, but there was something about it… Darkness! Too much to be caused by anger alone."

This time, the whole Krum family listened carefully.

"Where did you take her?" Viktor asked Remus.

The Auror hesitated before answering. "To Hogwarts!"

Eyes wide, Sophia freed the Aurors one by one, mumbling curses under her breath. "Take us there! Now!"

Reluctantly, Remus, Harry, Ron, Tonks and Arthur took the hand of a Krum family before apparating to Hogwarts. They landed in the library.

"Why are we here?" Viktor asked.

His mom was about to reply but Remus was quicker. "If your mother's hunch is correct, then it all started here."

"What started here?" Viktor asked.

Sophia told her son to wait and hope that she was wrong while they kept on searching through the library. After a few good minutes, they all saw debris at the end at the back of the library and a big hole in a wall. The small wooden pieces proved to everyone that a door previously stood there. On the other side was a small room with two shelves. In between these shelves, books rested on a table, lit by a candle.

Approaching the table slowly, Sophia flipped through the blank pages. Closing her eyes, she sighed in defeat.

"What's wrong, mom?" Viktor asked.

Sophia slowly turned around and faced her youngest son. "I'm afraid we can't help her anymore."

"What do you mean?"

She pointed out the books with her head. "You see this?"

Viktor approached and nodded.

"These are dark art books."

Frowning at the comment, Viktor wondered out loud. "Why are they all blank?"

Giving her son a sympathetic smile, she put a hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry Viktor, but I think we lost her."

Taking a step back, the young man looked around. Every adult in the room lowered their gaze to the floor, understanding Sophia's silent message.

"You didn't answer my question!"

Sighing deeply, she pointed the grimoires with her finger. "These books have been deprived of their magic. Somebody absorbed it."

"So what? Hermione absorbed the books' powers! We didn't lose her!"

Closing her eyes, she tried to come up with a way of telling her son the truth but Ioan intervened.

"Viktor, dark magic isn't something you can control, it is something that controls you by using your weaknesses. Right now, Hermione is consumed by darkness, and there is no way back for her now." Seeing his son shaking his head, he added. "Hermione knew that when she came here."

Jaw clenched, Viktor looked back and forth between the books and his father. "If she absorbed their magic, I'm sure there's a way to put it back in them."

Shaking his head, Ioan refuted his son's theory. "It doesn't work like that. Why do you think every country hides its black arts grimoires? Because once you use them, you're lost."

"Then how do we stop her?"

Staying silent, his father just held his gaze, but Viktor knew perfectly what he had in mind. Shaking his head he tried to tell him he couldn't, in vain.

"You don't have a choice Viktor. Remember how I told you we would use it as a last resort? This is it!"

Focused on their conversation, the two men didn't notice the rest of the family getting closer to them. Now that he took his environment in, he realized something. "Where are the British?"

Turning around, the whole family realized the Aurors have left.

"Where are they?"

Sophia looked at her husband. "They went to kill her!"


	8. Chapter 8

**_IMPORTANT!_**

**_Sorry, I needed to get your attention. Before you read it, I must warn you that this is not a death fic, it's important you keep that in mind ;)_**

* * *

"What do we do?" Viktor asked panicked.

Andreï scoffed. "What do you think? We go after them!"

"Calm down, boys! We need to think!" Their father demanded.

Nikolaï took a step forward, eyes filled with anger. "We don't have time! They are after her! You said it yourself, she's family! And I won't stay still while my little sister's in danger!"

The three brothers started protesting together but the sudden dark look Ioan sent them silenced the three young wizards instantly.

"So you think your mother and I don't want to jump in and rescue her? That's what you think?"

Not wanting to offend their dad even more with a lie, they stayed silent.

"We all care about her, but right now, she is in a dangerous place and we need to agree on the best way to help her."

"What kind of dangerous place?" Nikolaï asked.

Sighing, Ioan looked at his wife, silently asking her to explain the situation. She nodded and then focused her attention on her sons.

"To understand what she's going through, you must understand what kind of witch Hermione is." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "Despite her intelligence, Hermione's powers are influenced by her emotions, they're called Empaths."

"We did we never heard about them?"

"There were many of them, hundreds of years ago."

Frowning at her mother's words, Nikolaï asked. "What happened to them?"

"They were powerful, too powerful for their Ministry's liking, so they eliminated them."

"How do you know that?"

"Because that's how your grandmother, my mother, died."

The three brothers clenched their jaw, digesting this new information before focusing back on Hermione.

"Why do you think us knowing that she's an Empath is gonna help her?" Viktor asked.

"The powers of an Empath isn't one-sided. It is not black or white, it is both. Right now, Hermione's sudden burst of power came from her anger."

"So, what's the plan?"

"The original plan would've been to use the other side of her magic to balance her and calm her. But I'm afraid it won't work."

"Why?" The little trio asked in unison.

Raising her arms, she pointed out the open books. "She literally absorbed these dark art books' magic. Now, she's not only guided by her emotions, but by a force that is eating her alive and will end up killing her."

Jaw clenched, a single tear running down his cheek, Viktor glared at his mother. "So you're saying that whatever we do, she will die. How is that gonna help us?"

The empathy he saw in his mother's eyes only emphasized his growing anger.

"There is one last thing we can try." Ioan interrupted them.

Viktor turned his attention to his father who was currently looking at him, the solution evident in his eyes. The young wizard shook his head, denying that possibility.

"Dad, we talked about that! I can't!"

Taking a few steps forward, Ioan placed his hands on his son's shoulders. "We're out of options, son! I know you love her, more than anything. If you want to have a future with her, you know what to do."

"This spell is going to take everything away from her!"

"Not everything! We will be there!"

Emphasizing Ioan's promise, Alexeï put his hand on Viktor's right shoulder, over his dad's hand and Nikolaï and Sophia put their hand on his left shoulder.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Wand in hand, Arthur, Remus, Ron, Harry and Tonks wandered in the empty Ministry. After Hermione's attack, they all evacuated, those Hermione hadn't killed had been transported to the nearest hospital. Lights down, the only sound in the building was the wind who rushed into the cracks of the walls.

"Can't believe she practically destroyed the Ministry by herself!" Remus whispered.

"She's not herself anymore, Lupin! She's a monster." Arthur replied.

"Dad!"

Turning his glare towards his son, Arthur stopped abruptly. "Don't dad me, Ronald! You didn't see her, I did! She's not the girl you fell in love with anymore!"

In front of them, Remus stopped, looking around. "Are we sure she's still in there? We looked everywhere, used spells to locate her but in vain."

"It doesn't make sense, she came here to destroy the Ministry so why leaving?"

"Are you sure she came here to wipe out an old building when she could kill us instead?" Harry asked.

Remus shook his head, thinking. "No, she's smart. The Ministry represents our country, a country that abandoned her. By destroying it she sends a message"

"That makes sense, but why did she stop? Why did she leave?" Arthur asked.

The little group, stared thinking, not noticing the extraordinary storm outside until a thunderbolt crashed into the roof above them, making it collapsed. They dodged the falling debris and looked up at the big hole on the roof.

"Are you kidding me?" Arthur yelled in frustration.

"I guess you have your answer now!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Standing on a hill, Hermione looked at the dark building and felt her rage growing with each passing seconds. Looking up at the dark sky, she heard the rumble of the thunder. Raising her arm, she used her powers to command the lightning to crash against the Ministry.

"'Mione!" Harry yelled from behind her.

Turning around, Hermione glared at the young man who used to be her friend and let her down.

"Please, stop!" He begged.

Raising her eyebrows, the young witch thought for a moment she misunderstood what he said, but when he begged again, she smiled and started laughing uncontrollably. Arthur and Remus looked at her with fear in their eyes, thinking madness overwhelmed her. After a few seconds, she stopped but still had a mocking smile on her face.

"What's so funny, 'Mione?"

"You are funny!" She paused and her smile faded. "Doesn't it look familiar to you?"

Harry frowned, sending her a quizzical look, which made her sigh.

"Harry, always the numbskull! You really are a lost cause!"

"So why don't you enlighten me?"

"You really don't remember? That day at the Burrow? I begged you to help me and you dismissed me! So now you understand why I find this situation funny. Here I am, making you, the great War Hero beg for mercy, how pathetic!"

"You're right!" He said pulling out his wand. "I came here to stop you and that's what I'll do."

Hermione looked at the others who were pointing their wand at her. "You will try."

The tension was thick between them, one wrong move and the young Gryffindor could defeat them. Hands trembling, they weren't afraid of her powers but of her cleverness, that was her most dangerous weapon.

"What are you waiting for, Harry? Attack!"

The young man flinched. "I don't want to hurt you!" He admitted through gritted teeth.

His statement made Hermione snicker. "You could never hurt me, Harry! Not because you have a big heart, but because you are weak!

"Says the witch who needs dark magic to challenge her Ministry!"

"Who do you think you are to judge me, Harry? You who only had to exist to be accepted and acknowledge as the saviour of the Wizarding World. I worked harder than both you and Ron to be recognized as your equal, only to be judged by my blood status."

"I'm sorry."

"No you're not," she replied with a shook of her head. "But you will be."

Taking advantage of what they thought was a moment of inattention, Tonks and Arthur yelled the Reducto spell. But, with just a flick of her hands, Hermione sent two thunderbolts crashing into them, sending them flying backwards.

Reacting quickly, Harry raised his wand, Hermione mirrored his attitude with her hand. Harry's red lightning collided with Hermione's blue one. Despite his will, the witch's powers were bigger than his.

"Help!" He yelled at his comrades.

Ron and Remus nodded before sending their white lightning.

Flinching under the new force, Hermione raised her other hand, creating another ray of blue light. Their powers collided for a few seconds before creating a small explosion, making everyone flinch.

Falling on her knees, Hermione put a hand on her stomach, feeling like her insides were burning. Letting out a low growl, she gritted her teeth as the dark magic slowly tormented her. Each heartbeat was torture for the young woman, but she refused to give up. She lifted herself up with great difficulty and when she raised her head, her eyes widen.

"Mina!"

"Go away!" She growled.

"Not without you!"

"You have to."

"No…" He started.

"Go!" She yelled, sending a shockwave to blow the family away before looking back at the trio. "This ends now!"

"Hermione!" Sophia yelled from where she was. "If you do this, you will kill yourself. If you don't believe me, touch your nose!"

Startled by her order, she obeyed. Her fingers touched a warm liquid, when she looked down at her hand, she saw the blood.

"The dark magic gave you powers, but these same powers are slowly killing you. If you use all your magic now, you won't survive it."

Sophia was right, Hermione could feel it. Despite the intoxicating feeling of power, she felt it poisoning her body and soul. But it was too late now.

"So be it."

Ignoring their protests, Hermione gathered all her powers for one last attack.

Seeing that they couldn't reason her, Remus, Ron and Harry did the same. They all released their magic as the thunder roared. When their powers collided, they merged and created a big white sphere they kept on feeding with powers. Some beams escaped the sphere, making what they touched explode. With one last push of their magic, the little group made the sphere imploded. The shock of the growing explosion scattered them away.

After a few seconds, the magic disappeared into thin air. From where they were, the Krum family had been spared from the explosion. Getting up, Viktor looked everywhere around him, searching for Hermione. He yelled her name a few times but got no response. Rubbing his eyes forcefully in a vain attempt to ease the irritation caused by the immense light. He blinked a few times, trying to see through the ocean of darkness surrounding him. He was about to scream one more time when his dad put his hand on his arm and raised his wand, the tip of it illuminating the darkness. They walked carefully over where Hermione previously stood and looked around.

"There!" Ioan yelled, pointing down at the bottom of the hill.

Viktor didn't waste a second and hurtled down the hill and rushed to Hermione's side. Kneeling down before her, he gently pulled her against him, holding her head with his hand.

"Mina! Mina, please, open your eyes!"

Barely breathing, the young woman fought hard to open her eyes. When she saw Viktor, she smiled a little.

"You're here," she whispered.

Holding back the tears that threatened to erupt, Viktor only nod.

"Don't cry." She asked weakly. "I'm not in pain anymore, in fact, I can't feel my body anymore."

"Don't go! Please!" Viktor's tears ran down his cheeks merging with the raindrops.

"I don't want to." With an inhuman effort, she raised her hand to his cheek. "I want to stay with you."

Ioan watched his son internal conflict. He wanted to use the only spell that could save her but at the same time, he wished for a miracle.

"If you want to save her, son! You have to do it now!"

Looking down at the woman he loves, Viktor took her hand and put it on her chest before murmuring a spell in Bulgarian. As Viktor chanted the ancient words, Hermione's body started to glow and died almost immediately when he finished.

"You can do it, son!"

Viktor looked up, his face contorted by pain. "No, I can't! I can't do it! Please, do it for me!"

Putting his hands on his son's cheeks, Ioan forced Viktor to look at him. "I wish I could, but only the one who used the spell can do it! I'm sorry!"

"Step away from her!" Remus demanded after he apparated near them.

"Go to hell, Lupin!" Ioan growled.

"She's dying, but we can save her! Let me take her to the hospital. They can save her."

Looking at his son, Ioan whispered. "Now, Viktor!"

Eyes closed and jaw clenched, Viktor gathered all his will and, in one swift movement, snapped Hermione's neck. Glancing sideways, Ioan saw Remus's wide eyes glow briefly. He didn't have time to react that Viktor threw his head back and let out a guttural scream of agony. Putting a hand behind his neck, Ioan tried to comfort his grieving son, in vain.

After a few minutes, Viktor carried Hermione's body and walked up the hill to join the rest of his family.

"What are you doing? Leave the body here!" Remus yelled.

Raising his wand, Ioan used a spell to make him vomit slugs. "If it is to talk shit I'd rather you shut up!"

At the top of the hill, Viktor joined his brothers and Sophia, Hermione still in his arms. The little family gathered around him.

"Let's take her home," Sophia said calmly.

Nodding discreetly, he watched Sophia and Ioan open a portal to Bulgaria before engulfing himself in it.


	9. Epilogue

_Hi everyone!_

Thank you for your reviews, this is the last chapter of my story. I hope you liked it :)

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No one really knew what happened that day apart from a handful of wizards, and none of them were willing to reveal the truth about what might have happened, but they all had their reasons. Admitting that the Ministry imposed the Marriage Law on a witch who killed almost every one of its instigators before dying was a shame, and the risk people would blame them for her death was too high. Their selfish reasons, however, were enough for the Krum family. Whatever lies the British Government was about to give, they weren't about to refute it. They loved Hermione with all their hearts, but revealing to the world that their war hero used dark magic to destroy her own Ministry would tarnish her reputation, and the little family wanted people to remember her as the courageous woman that she was.

Weeks have passed, and the British Ministry still hadn't spread the news of Hermione's death, but people started asking questions, about Hermione, Jack and their wedding and the Ministry didn't know what to say. But when Andrew's family spread the news about his death, people started asking more and more questions, sometimes demanding answers. But the Jack family stayed silent, promising the Ministry they would keep quiet if they give people a story that would not depict their son as a weakling who got killed by a mud-blood. With that pressure, the Ministry and the Aurors worked night and day to find a story that will content everyone and came up with a good story.

They gathered their community in front of the Ministry and asked Harry to spread the news. The young man climbed on a stage and faced the huddled crowd.

"You are all wondering what happened, and in the name of the Ministry, we apologize for keeping the secret for so long." Harry paused to take a deep breath. "What happened was so terrible it broke our heart."

The silence that ensued was deafening in the young man's ears. His heartbeats increased rapidly but he tried to regain control over his fear.

"You all know, since the end of the war, that the Aurors' main mission was to track down and capture the remaining Death Eaters. We were so scared they might come back to avenge Voldemort that this mission turned into an obsession that every single Aurors of our unit worked hard to capture them. It had been our biggest mistake." Harry stopped and took a deep breath. "While we were away, a small group of Death Eaters attacked Hermione and her fiancée Andrew, and killed them."

A loud gasp of horror escaped the big crowd. Feeling a little dizzy, Harry put a hand on his forehead, not feeling his eyes briefly glowing white. Then, as the realization hit the witnesses, the brief white glowing reverberated in everyone's eyes, but no one noticed, except one person.

Hidden in a dark corner, a hooded man was watching. His dark glare fixed on Harry. Sensing the intent stare, Harry searched through the crowd and his eyes landed on him. Throat bobbing, he couldn't look away, until the hooded figure engulfed itself in the shadows.

It was the last time people talked or thought about the wisest witch of her age.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Apparating in the Krum's leaving room, Viktor took off his hood and faced his family.

"So, did it work?" Ioan asked, taking a step forward.

His son answered with a brief nod, making everyone sigh in relief.

"I know you don't like this Viktor, but trust me, it was our best option. Hermione needed to die so that Anya could live."

Viktor stayed silent, he still needed to digest all this new information and accept the fact he used the death spell on Hermione, of all people.

"So, what happens now?" Viktor asked. "Now that everyone that she's dead in everyone's mind, what do we do?"

His father put his hands on his shoulders and smiled. "Now, we move on!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Years have passed since that fateful day. Slowly, people forgot about the wisest witch of her age and moved on. The scars left by the dark lord were still vivid but thanks to their hard work and unity, the British Ministry and its people rebuilt their community. Remus and his Aurors tracked down the last remnants of the Death Eaters and put them away in Azkaban and Arthur and the Ministry abolished that disastrous Marriage Law.

Now that they're country was stable again, the British Ministry, as well as other countries' Ministries, decided it was time for everyone to bend together. This idea came, not only from the feat that another Dark Lord appeared but from the want to stop any political conflict. In this time of peace, every country admitted these alliances were crucial. Only one country was reluctant to this new alliance. Indeed, Bulgaria expressed how disappointed they were by the whole Granger-Jack situation and wasn't sure the British Ministry could be trusted. So, for days Ministries gathered to convince the Bulgarian and British Ministry to forget about the past.

Eventually, they decided they could be allies without fully trusting each other, because yes, they didn't trust each other, but they could work on rebuilding it if the British Ministry was willing to make the effort. Interested by the idea, Arthur asked if they had an idea and the Bulgarians knew exactly how they could start.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Standing in front of the mirror, Viktor struggled with his tie, his hands shaking uncontrollably. A soft knock on the door made it stop for a second. Allowing the intruder to come in, he was his dad's face peeking from behind the door.

"Need help here?" Ioan asked with a big smile.

"Please, papa!" His son sighed happily.

Laughing, Ioan closed the door behind him and grabbed the tie. "What's wrong? I saw you put on your tie a million times. Are you nervous?"

Viktor just looked at him with a raised eyebrow, silently noting how stupid his question sounded, which earned him a mocking smile.

"I don't why you're so worked up. It's not like you haven't dreamed of this moment for a long time."

"Yes, but now is not a dream, it's reality. And reality is scary."

Ioan nodded absentmindedly. "It is. That's what makes this moment memorable!"

"You're not helping, dad!" Viktor complained.

His dad finished the tie and put his hands on his shoulders. "I'm not here to help, I'm here to make sure you don't run out the back!"

Faking a shocked expression, Viktor let his father lead him to the ballroom area, where hundreds of men in costumes and women in dresses. A piece of slow, enchanted music invited people on the dancefloor. They made their way down, nodding to a few people, eluding boring conversations with Ministers and arrived in the ballroom.

"This is a masquerade!" Viktor muttered under his breath, looking everywhere around himself.

"This is not!" Ioan replied.

"So it is a coincidence that the day of my marriage, the same Ministry that killed the woman I loved, show up?" He asked, pointing at Remus and Harry who were talking in a corner.

"This is your wedding! Let them do their thing and focus on what's important. Today is about you and her!"

Viktor was about to reply but got interrupted when the music dimmed and the crowd started whispering. Looking around, he noticed something had caught everyone's attention. Following their gaze, his heart skipped a beat, it wasn't something that caught their attention, but someone.

Standing at the top of the stairs, his mother, dressed in an elegant purple dress was standing beside the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, the same woman who, by the end of the night, will be his beloved wife. Her usually long, curly hair were tied up in a bun, matching the one of Viktor's mom, but the most stunning detail about her was the was she looked in her dress. It was nothing extravagant as many were expecting. It was a simple long burgundy, lace-back dress, with a deep V-neck. The young lady looked everywhere, probably searching for someone.

"May I?" Viktor asked his dad.

Instead of answering, Ioan smiled and nodded.

Bowing down, he quickly made his way to the bottom of the stairs and looked up to meet her gaze. When she spotted him, she smile genuinely, making his knees go weak. With one look at Sophia, the two women started making their way down the stairs.

"Who is she?" Harry asked.

"I have no idea!" Remus whispered back. "The only thing I know about her is that she's called the Bulgarian Princess. Maybe because she's about to marry the Viktor Krum."

Harry picked up on the disdain in Remus voice when he mentioned the groom's name.

"Why do you ask?"

Harry just shrugged. "Don't know! She seems familiar to me."

Remus snorted. "Don't be ridiculous! Plus, you already are married, boy!"

Harry let the comment slide but kept an eye on the woman. He swore he saw her somewhere.

When the two ladies reached the bottom of the stairs, Sophia kissed her cheek before stepping back, leaving the two young people alone. Viktor's heart felt like it was gonna explode. Around them, the silence was deafening, everyone waited for the young couple to do something. That's when Viktor remembered what they were supposed to do.

"May I have the first dance, my love?"

"Gladly."

Letting out a soft laugh, Viktor raised an arm and snapped his fingers before putting his hand back on her waist. As a soft music started to fill the room, the couple to move gracefully but shyly around the ballroom, making the crows form a small circle around them. They all admired them opening the first dance.

"She's so beautiful." Whispered Ginny who got back from outside and placed herself in front of Harry.

"Yes, she is!" He answered absentmindedly.

Viktor and his fiancée continued to swirl around, sometimes, the young man lifted her high just to hear her laugh. Soon, their dance turned into a traditional Viennese Waltz, and, as they kept on moving around the ballroom with much more ease and assurance, the small circle formed by the crowd turned into a bigger one. Moving back to the center of the room, their laughed echoed together as Viktor lifter her one last time.

As the music started to faded, the couple ended the dance with a final bow before the room erupted in cheers and clapping. Spotting his parents, Viktor took his fiancée's hand and lead her to where they were.

"You did great son! Now, let me greet my daughter-in-law." Ioan exclaimed.

The little group laughed as Viktor greeted her mother with a kiss on the cheek while Ioan kissed his daughter's cheek.

"There is the happy couple!" A familiar voice said.

Closing his eyes, Viktor tried to keep on a straight face and resisted the urge to punch the Aurors that came in their way.

"What are you doing here, Remus?" Ioan asked.

"We are here to start anew with your country and…"

"We know the whole story!" Sophia interrupted him. "You're here for political reasons, so why don't you go back to talk about peace with our people instead of boring us?"

Surprisingly, Remus lost his smile.

"Look, what happened was terrible. We all lost someone we cared about and I wanted to apologize and to congratulate your son about the wedding."

"Alright, you did it, now go!" Viktor answered.

Not wanting to make him angrier, Remus bowed down and left, but Harry and Ginny stayed. There was something about Viktor's wife that bothered them.

"Did we met?" Ginny asked. "I feel like I saw you somewhere."

Viktor and his parents froze, but the young bride stayed composed.

"No, you must confuse me with someone else. Someone who died maybe?"

Eyes wide, the little family watched the red haired woman looking down and apologized before leaving, but Harry stayed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Anya!"

Deep in thought, Harry nodded before leaving.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Later that night, after the whole wedding and the party that followed, the young couple happily went back to the Krum Manor.

"Hey! How was the wedding?" Nikolaï asked.

Viktor scoffed. "You mean the public masquerade we had to put up for the whole world so they think Hermione's dead?"

Mouth slightly agape, Nikolaï just shrugged. "This one?"

Viktor sighed in defeat. "It went well, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Harry and Ginny seemed to have doubts."

Nikolaï frowned. "Dad! I thought the spell was supposed to work!"

Ioan arrived at that moment, looking tired. "It's a spell, son! Not a damn miracle. But at least, he seemed to buy out little story."

"For now!" Viktor muttered.

"And that's all that matters! Now get back upstairs, someone's waiting for you."

Viktor turned around, a frown on his face. "He's not sleeping?"

Nikolaï just shrugged, so Viktor quickly made his way upstairs, only to find his wife sitting on a rocking chair. He approached slowly and went down on his knees.

"How's my little Dmitri doing tonight? Why isn't he sleeping?" He cooed at the little bundle in Anya's arms.

The young mother smiled and moved aside the cover to reveal a dark-haired baby, looking curiously back and forth between the two adults, making soft noises.

"I guess he couldn't sleep while we were away." She paused before continuing on a different subject. "I was so scared tonight."

Viktor nodded and put a hand under her chin to make her look at him. "It's over now! We did it! They all think Hermione's dead."

"I still don't understand how you did that, which, coming from me, means a lot."

Viktor laughed softly. "My dad's family created a dangerous spell. They called it the Death Spell, but my dad named it the Phoenix Spell. It's a spell that mimics a real death by making people believe that they have seen a death, and so make them viscerally accept the event as true."

"I understand. So are we safe now?"

Viktor thought about it before answering. "I don't know but, I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you and our son are safe. I promise."

A genuine smile formed itself on the young woman's face as she put a hand on Viktor's cheek. "I love you, Viktor."

Mirroring her smile, he turned his face and kissed her palm.

"I love you too, Mina."


End file.
